Golf Channel Notable Quotes
Golf Central Live From the Masters
Sunday, April 9, 2017 (primetime)
Augusta National Golf ClubAugusta, Ga.
On Sergio Garcia, 2017 Masters Champion (9-under par) via a one-hole playoff over Justin RoseRich Lerner –“He remains a fighter, though he is no longer fighting himself. He is a Masters champion.”Rich Lerner –“Pure joy for Sergio Garcia, and this place was emotional.”Frank Nobilo –“You could not write this any better. The story of his career at times was a cross between a drama and a thriller. It finally gets a fairy tale ending.”Brandel Chamblee –“I can’t imagine a victory being globally received with more deep appreciation than what we saw here today.”David Duval –“He is an incredible golfer. The burdens he’s been carrying and to watch him perform like he did. Something was smiling on him a little bit today.”Duval –“He is such an immense talent. He truly carries the weight of a country on him. He is a proper hitter of the golf ball, it is just the little things that needs to add up for him to do what he did this week, and it did.”Duval –“We saw patience, commitment, accepting and being present. That is what enabled him to win this golf tournament today.”Lerner –“It was toe-to-toe. Two European Giant Heavyweights battling it out.”Chamblee –“Watching the back and forth, the great ball-striking between these players was almost like watching Hogan vs. Hogan. It was just one great shot after another.”Nobilo –“The 15th hole is called Fire Thorn for a reason. There has been some sensational eagles at 15, and now Sergio Garcia’s name is added to that hole.”Lerner –“In the past 12 months, curses have been broken. The Cubs finally won the World Series. The Cleveland Cavaliers finally got the monkey off its back. Dark clouds lifting where ever you look, including over Sergio Garcia.”Mike Tirico –“People were chanting his name today. It proves that in our society when we want the answer quick, we want the final line before we let the story play out, the Sergio story played out today and he became likeable. People warmed to him today.”Arron Oberholser –“We saw his best golf in the biggest moments this week.”
On the one-hole playoff and sportsmanship between Justin Rose and Sergio GarciaTirico –“A great day for the game. For the people who sample once a year, usually it is today. For those samplers, they saw the sportsmanship in our game and the guts that it took today. One shot after another great shot today.”
Justin Rose speaking with Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis following the conclusion of the MastersJustin Rose –“I just think how I felt as a competitor out there really is what I can take from today. I felt in control of my game, but more so, in control of my emotions. I was kind of surprising myself at how cool, calm and collected I felt all the way through until the end. I was saying to myself that I feel better in the biggest situations that I put myself in. That is when I become my calmest and when I feel my best. That is a nice learning curve because that is something you can’t learn in practice. You can’t simulate that on the range. You don’t often get the opportunity to practice because you need to wait for the right situation. That gives me a lot of confidence and if I can put myself in these situations moving forward, I should be able to convert.”
-NBC Sports Group-