PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Sergio Garcia fattened his already-rich bank account by $658,800 for his runner-up finish the Honda Classic on Sunday.
He gained 300 FedExCup points.
He’ll move up the world rankings from his No. 19 spot.
And he walked away — in his words — “happy with my week.’’
After the disappointing, demoralizing and anticlimactic 1-over 71 round Garcia shot in Sunday’s final round left him one shot behind winner Adam Scott, there’s something else that he’ll carry with him from PGA National down the Florida Turnpike to Doral for this week’s WGC-Cadillac Championship:
More scar tissue.
Among the world’s top golfers of the past few generations, Garcia — for all of his brilliant talent and charisma — probably ranks second to only Greg Norman in crushing defeats in the biggest moments.
Publicly, Garcia’s takeaway from this week was he nearly won the tournament without having his best stuff — like a pitcher who gutted out nine innings and lost, 2-1 or 3-2.
“I’m proud of the way I hung in there,’’ Garcia said afterward. “I don’t feel like my swing is anywhere near where I want it to be, but I fought nicely. There were a lot of positives. I fought hard. I felt like I stayed quite calm. It’s tough. It’s never easy. But I gave it my all.
“Unfortunately, a couple bad shots on a couple difficult holes and it wasn’t good enough.’’
When it was officially over — when Scott tapped in his 20-inch putt for par on the 72nd hole to clinch his 12th PGA Tour victory — there was a moment when the visual told the damning story: As the two players embraced on the 18th green with the South Florida sun setting, cameras clicking and the fans clamoring from the packed grandstands, Garcia looked relieved.
He looked happier in defeat that Scott did in victory. Garcia looked like he was genuinely happy it was over — even in a loss.
“I’m not going to lie; I’m happy with my week,’’ Garcia said. “I played horrible last week [at Riviera, where he missed the cut]. I can’t be disappointed with it, because without feeling great I almost won.’’
Tony Robbins and Stuart Smalley jokes aside, it is Garcia’s prerogative to feel that way.
But the fact is this: He’s now taken at least a share of the 54-hole lead in 13 PGA Tour events in his career and won three of those tournaments. He has now failed to win the past five times he had at least a share of the lead entering the final round.
These things add up, and they tell a lot about the player and how he handles pressure. And in this department — Ryder Cups aside — Garcia has fallen short if we’re being truthful.
The platinum standard forever will be Tiger Woods, who has a 52-4 career record when having at least a share of the 54-hole lead, 42-2 when he holds the 54-hole lead outright.
Even Scott, who now is 7-of-11 converting 54-hole leads into wins, has had his share of final-round meltdowns.
The last time he was in this position, Scott leaked away the 2014 Arnold Palmer Invitational after shooting a final-round 4-over 76. At the 2012 British Open, he bogeyed his final four holes to lose to Ernie Els, who felt like an accidental tourist when he was handed the Claret Jug.
So it’s easy to criticize Garcia for his shortcomings, for not having more wins than the eight PGA Tour wins he has in his 18-year pro career, for not having won a major championship and for not being a better clutch player in final rounds with tournaments on the line.
“Adam played great,’’ Garcia said. “I don’t want to take anything away from him. I know I can play better, so that’s a good thing. Without feeling like I was swinging that great I still managed to have a chance. I’m happy with that.’’
Garcia, who is 36, surely will have more chances, but not many better than the one he failed to capitalize on Sunday. And he cannot be happy with that.
“At the end of the day, the most important thing is that I’m happy with what I’m doing,’’ Garcia said. “I don’t need to prove anything to anyone. Just to myself. It’s as simple as that.’’