The Pga Tour and European Tour might have looked the other way after Sergio Garcia’s inexcusable, racially insensitive “fried chicken’’ comment directed at his nemesis, Tiger Woods, at that awards dinner on Tuesday night in England.
But American golf fans — specifically those at next month’s U.S. Open at Merion — likely will not. Since the governing bodies of the tours Garcia plays on opted not to be, the fans will end up being judge and jury for the shamed Spaniard.
Merion is about 30 minutes outside Philadelphia, a place where fans famously booed and threw snowballs at Santa Claus during an Eagles game at the old Veterans Stadium. So imagine what the Philly fans might have in store for Garcia.
Remember, Garcia, known for his rabbit ears and propensity to be easily distracted, was rattled by New York fans’ mocking of his incessant re-grip yips at the 2002 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black, where they yelled at him to “hit the [bleeping] ball.’’
So you might think Garcia got off scot-free this week.
You might have wondered why Garcia was not disciplined in any way by the PGA Tour and/or European Tour for “conduct detrimental’’ to their respective multi-million-dollar industries.
And you’re probably curious how none of Garcia’s sponsors, led by TaylorMade-adidas — which pays him more than $5 million a year — has canned him by now for bringing negative attention to their products.
On the surface, four days after Garcia’s clumsy attempt at banquet humor that turned into a firestorm, it would appear all it took for him to be exonerated for essentially doing the same thing that ruined Fuzzy Zoeller’s career 16 years ago was conduct a 15-minute mea-culpa press conference during which he groveled for forgiveness.
Truth is, however, it’s likely Garcia ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
Not until the Spaniard again plays in America, where Woods is more loved for the icon he is on the golf course than he is loathed for his faults off of it, will he truly feel the weight of his thoughtless remarks.
Garcia is two rounds into the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in England this week and he has raved about the “warm’’ receptions he has gotten from the fans there.
Understand, though: Wentworth, the home of the European Tour, is a home game for Garcia, who is revered there in large part because of his Ryder Cup prowess.
That same warmth he has felt this week is not likely to be felt when Garcia gets to Merion, where he is certain to hear it from the crowds outside the ropes.
PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem and George O’Grady, the top executive at the European Tour, essentially have let Garcia off the hook for his careless comments, tacitly supporting him and preferring to sweep this ugly incident under the carpet.
Which is disappointing and somewhat surprising, particularly on the part of the PGA Tour, considering Woods has been its top commodity for the last 15 years, lining Finchem’s pockets with green.
What Finchem essentially has done with his silence is look the other way while Garcia insulted the player who has been more important to Finchem’s career and legacy as commissioner and to the growth of the PGA Tour than any other.
Finchem not coming to the defense of his most important player being roughed up leaves him looking less than manly and authoritative.
So, with neither tour so much as slapping Garcia on the wrist for his poor judgment, when this is all over, if Garcia ends up being held accountable by American fans, that might turn out to be his punishment.
Full disclosure: I like Garcia — except when he does dumb things like he did Tuesday night. Athletes like Garcia are a sports journalist’s dream because he speaks his mind, bares his emotions 24/7 and is not suffocated by political correctness.
So I want Garcia to succeed, and win tournaments — particularly major championships — because he is good for golf, which is in constant search of star power beyond Woods.
That, however, does not mean Garcia gets to walk away without consequence from the mess he caused this week. Stay tuned at Merion. You can bet Garcia will.