Brit Justin Rose says losing ‘stings’ but happy for Garcia

He wasn’t the only one celebrating – the wider sporting world is delighted the kid they used to call “El Nino” has finally come of age.

Sergio Garcia and Angela Akins announced their engagement in January.

A few hours after clenching the win, Sergio talked to everyone from green jackets to global networks about the moment he became a champion. “They’ve been pretty hectic with interviews”. “I’ve been hitting that drive every day like a high cut”. This morning was probably the first time that it is finally starting to sink in. “That’s not going to change”. “It’s a great time in my life”. So nothing but positives ahead I feel. I feel so nicely surrounded. “You can see the emotion on him, and I maybe created some of that emotion, so I’ll take some credit for that”.

Sergio Garcia has secured the first major win of his career after edging out Britain’s Justin Rose at the Masters. By the sounds of things, he was nearly resigned to defeat on that occasion.

Last-group playing partners and friends Garcia and Rose were level for the lead at the start of what become a ten-sion-packed thrill ride of a final round. “It definitely helps”, he said.

“But I knew that I could still work it around, you know, if I just accepted what was happening”. I knew it was a quick putt.

“In the five previous holes I had struck the ball very well”.

“Jose Maria texted on Thursday saying how much he believed in me and to believe in myself”. A new superstar, however, had emerged, and Rory McIlroy would win out as Sergio melted. I have so many people that care for me and love me and support me. “But, at the same time, it is all a learning process”. Rose birdied the hole, and the two golfers were all square with just three to go. It was the memory that must have been coursing through his mind after that miss on the 18th in Augusta – “I thought I’d had it”. “Just go out there and have fun, simple as that”.

The 37-year-old Spaniard defeated England’s Justin Rose, the reigning Olympic champion, with a birdie on the first playoff hole at Augusta National after failing in his first 73 tries at a major triumph. I still have a bunch of good years in me and this is one I hope I can knock off. “But this is a tournament I am going to win one day. I’m happy I found her, and I think she’s happy she found me, which is great”, he said.

That was more than 25 years after he’d first made his mark, becoming the youngest player to win the European Amateur in 1995.

“I have plenty more looks, and I feel good about it happening”.

Unsurprisingly, his phone has been red hot since Sunday.

“I’m the sort of guy who grinds it out and works at it so we come at in different ways, and we’ve been rivals for years”.