Garcia comes up just short at a major — again

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Another duel down the stretch. Another shot that hit a pin and kicked away. Another loss in a major championship.

Sergio Garcia has to be disappointed — yet don't ever suggest that to him.

He bristled when asked about his disappointment after finishing tied for second at the PGA Championship on Sunday, two shots behind Padraig Harrington.

"Why are you making this a disappointment?" he snapped at his questioner in the twilight glow outside Oakland Hills. "Obviously I was trying to win, but that's it. It's not disappointing."

It's just that everyone expects it to be. How can someone fall short again on the biggest stage and not be disappointed?

Garcia says he does not brood about his defeats, even the three seconds in majors. He gives it his best, sees where he finishes and then heads home. Mission accomplished. Sort of.

But that's not the way most premier athletes think.

Asked later if, when he was leading by a shot heading into the final nine holes on Sunday, he thought he finally was on his way to that elusive first major victory, he couldn't withhold his anger.

"Next question," he said. "Let's try to keep this as positive as we can, please."

It's just that more than the victories, Garcia's decade in the spotlight has been measured by his close calls in the biggest tournaments.

He exploded on the world scene by challenging Tiger Woods as a callow 19-year-old at the 1999 PGA Championship at Medinah, showing he was a marvelous shotmaker like his idol Seve Ballesteros only he played with the joy of a kid.

Still, he finished second to Woods that year. In 2007 he lost to Harrington (again) at Carnoustie, having his heart broken when his shot to the 16th green in the playoff ricocheted off the base of the pin and ended up 18 feet away.

He also played in the last group at the British Open at Hoylake in 2006 before fading to a tie for fifth and, that same year, tied for third at the PGA, six shots back of Woods (again).