Sergio García explodes against the PGA: "I can't wait to leave this circuit!"

It was on the 10th hole, a par five, on the first day of Wells Fargo, a tournament on the US circuit that takes place in Potomac, in the state of Maryland.

Sergio García's ball was lost in the undergrowth and the 42-year-old golfer from Castellón had, as the rules stipulate, three minutes to find it before it was considered lost and that meant one more hit on his card.

And there the mess arose.

García considered that the judges started the stopwatch before crossing a river that gave access to the area where the ball had been lost, so he did not have the regulated time to look for it.

According to the Spaniard, the time should start counting at the exact moment he started the search, and not while he was moving to the place, also due to the confusion regarding the exact side where the ball was,

due to the presence of other players on the field and the lack of clarity in the television images.

The case that Garcia broke out against the referees of the American circuit, the PGA Tour: “I can't wait to leave this circuit!

I can't wait to go.

Just a couple more weeks and I won't have to deal with you guys anymore."

Sergio García saved the par and finished the round with -3, after a wonderful

on the par four of the 15th hole, four shots behind the leader, Australian Jason Day (-7).

And at the end of the day, the PGA Tour admitted his mistake and that the Spaniard was right.

“García spent a considerable amount of time accessing the other area of ​​the creek.

The clock was still ticking and must have stopped.

When the ball was found, the three-minute time set by the referees had expired and the ball was considered lost, ”explained the circuit in a statement, despite which the Spanish card could no longer be modified.

Sergio Garcia, frustrated with what he thought was the early start of the clock to look for a lost ball, seemingly telling a rules official…

…I cant wait to leave this tour

…cant wait to get outta here

…just a couple more weeks until I don't have to deal with you any more pic.twitter.com/k1qRRYbmsF

– The Fried Egg (@the_fried_egg) May 5, 2022

However, beyond the specific incident itself, García's words have fallen like a bomb in the world of golf for what he hinted: that he will soon leave the American circuit and enroll in the project of a millionaire circuit in Arabia whose first test is held next month.

The earthquake is great in golf.

The project of creating a Super League outside the PGA Tour is the epicenter of a revolution.

The Saudi fortune aims to attract the best golfers in the world to play the Saudi Super Golf League (SSGL) and thus keep a piece of the economic cake.

Last February, Jon Rahm, then number one in the world (now on the second step, after Scottie Scheffler), made his position clear: “This is the first and only time I will talk about this.

I officially declare my allegiance to the PGA Tour.

I'm a member of the Player Advisory Council and I'm a big believer in (commissioner) Jay Monahan and the product they're going to give us in the future.

There has been a lot of talk and speculation about the Saudi Super League.

It's just not something I think is best for me and my future in golf,

and I think the best legacy I can achieve will be with the PGA Tour.

I don't play for the money, which is the only reason to go there.

They throw numbers at you and think they impress you.

I play for the love of golf and to become a champion.

I grew up watching a lot of amazing players, there is a history, a legacy, and that appeals to me a lot.

The other doesn't seem smart to me."

Jon Rahm, with the Mexican Open trophy, won last Sunday. Francisco Guasco (EFE)

Rahm's step forward, until then the first great figure who had publicly shown his opinion, was joined by reactions in the same vein from Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau, among others.

But the controversy has continued to rise in temperature, especially when statements by Phil Mickelson, winner of six majors, the last one the PGA Championship last year at age 50, came to light, collected in the writing of a biography: “These are sons of bitches (the Saudis) who are scary to get involved with.

We know that they killed (journalist Jamal) Khashoggi and that they have a horrible human rights record.

There they execute people for being gay.

Knowing all this, why would he consider it?

Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour works,

are not the same as the rest”.

The fire that these statements lit has led Mickelson to disappear from the PGA in recent tournaments (he did not play the Augusta Masters), in what is interpreted as a covert sanction by the PGA for his position in favor of the Saudi Super League.

Sergio García's public exclamations have added even more fuel to the fire.

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