Sergio Garcia’s making a serious final push for the Ryder Cup

The Wyndham Championship was supposed to be all about the FedEx Cup — a “Last chance saloon” of sorts for guys trying to get inside the top 125 on the season-long points list before The Barclays.

For Sergio Garica, he came into the week with a far more important goal on his mind than making it to Bethpage Black. That goal, of course, is picking up one of 10 coveted spots on the European Ryder Cup team.

Prior to the Wyndham, Garcia was a giant question mark for European captain Jose Maria Olazabal, who noted just last month that the Spaniard needed to keep his emotions in check if he wanted to have any chance of being considered as a captain’s pick.

Currently 13th in the standings, Garcia knew he had two weeks to get his game in order and show Olazabal that he was worthy of a spot on the team. And after three rounds at Sedgefield Country Club, it’s looking more and more likely that one of golf’s biggest lightning rods could be a lock for the Ryder Cup, after Garcia followed up his 7-under 63 on Friday with a 4-under 66 to take a one-shot lead over Bud Cauley and Tim Clark going into the final round.

With 15 players within four shots of the lead, Garcia is far from a sure thing — he’s an emotional roller-coaster, after all — but the fact that he’s finding his game with the pressure mounting tells you everything you need to know about how much he wants to make the team.

Just two years after Garcia hit rock bottom and took a spot as a vice-captain at the 2010 event, he’s now 18 holes away from not only taking part in the 2012 Ryder Cup, but also picking up his first PGA Tour win since the 2008 Players Championship.

Love him or hate him, the intensity surrounding the Ryder Cup goes up a couple notches when Sergio Garcia has a leading role. There’s no denying that statement. His fiery personality is perfect for the emotionally charged event.

If you’re Europe, you want him on the team for his record (he’s 14—6—4). If you’re the United States … well, you know every Ryder Cup is better when you have an antagonist like Garcia on the other side. He’s one round away from adding a little something extra to the biennial event.

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