LOS ANGELES – Sergio Garcia pushed his tee shot so far right on Riviera’s 13th hole Saturday that he never saw it nearly hit Ryan Moore on the 10th green and land in a greenside bunker on that hole.
What happened next was, in his own estimation, one of the top three pars of his career.
Garcia hit a towering 3-iron out of the bunker that landed 60 yards short of the 13th green. His pitch shot came up 25 feet short of the hole, but he rolled in the putt for an improbable par.
“I was thrilled,” he later said. “I would have been happy with 5, so 4 was a bonus.”
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It was a common theme during a round of 3-under 68 which he referred to as “Seve-like” and moved him to within three strokes of the lead.
“It’s kind of been like that all week, I guess; I’ve hit some beauties and I’ve hit some shockers,” he said. “So to be able to be able to kind of get away with it, and managed to shoot the round I shot under the conditions, which the course was playing really tough, too - I’m happy with that.”
