Sergio Garcia. Saudi International 2023/Paul Severn

Sergio Garcia may ‘only’ be 5ft 10ins, small for a golfer by today’s standards, but he is standing tall once again as he starts his 2023 season at the Saudi International this week. 

Following successful surgery on his left knee after the LIV Golf Team Championship finale at Trump Doral in Miami, the Spaniard is fighting fit for a new campaign — with one eye on Augusta in April and potentially the Ryder Cup in September.

“It went well,”Garcia said of the operation, which was required to fix a torn meniscus he suffered in Jeddah on LIV Golf duty last October. “It feels probably about 95 per cent. It doesn’t bother me to swing anymore. Now it is just a matter of getting used to walking holes over and over and over again. I ice it and spray it but it is taking care of itself.”

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His new season begins proper on Thursday at the Asian Tour Saudi International, swiftly followed by the International Series Oman at Al Mouj Golf in Muscat next week, where the all-time Ryder Cup points scorer Garcia will be joined by fellow Spaniards Eugenio Chacarra and David Puig, as will Chile’s two top-ranked players Joaquin Niemann and Mito Pereira, plus four-time major winner Brooks Koepka. Then it is on to the big LIV Golf season opener in Mexico.

“I am excited about a new season after a nice break,” the 43-year-old Garcia added. “I am excited to get going and see if we can do some nice things.”

Preparations will be a bit different ahead of The Masters in Augusta in April for Garcia as he is no longer playing on the PGA Tour or DP World Tour.

“After three months off, I want to get some rounds in me,” he said. “We are going to play these two [Saudi International and International Series Oman] and then we have the LIV opener in Mexico before we head to Orlando.

“So I will have those four tournaments heading into Augusta, and it is just a matter of getting in a good rhythm and get to Augusta in as good shape as I can.

“It is great to see how the Asian Tour is growing, not only for us but some of the young guys who are coming out are getting better and better and it is nice to see. It shows the strength of the Asian Tour, and if we can make it stronger, that is what we are trying to do.”

One thing in particular made Garcia smile as he recuperated at home over the festive period following Augusta National’s decision to permit LIV Golfers to compete in the Masters.

“It was nice to receive the formal invitation just prior to Christmas from Augusta,” he said. “At the end of the day it is Augusta National who makes the decision who is going to play, and Augusta always talks about honouring the traditions of the game and how important it is we all remember that.

“It would be weird if the LIV Golf players who have won the Masters were to be left out in teeing-up at Augusta, and also not attending the dinner. So, I was obviously pleased to have received the letter confirming my attendance.

“I know when I returned to Augusta as the Masters champion in 2018, how special it was for me to be honoured for my fellow champions for what I have achieved a year earlier, and that’s why it will be special for Scottie Scheffler this year when we honour him.

Garcia is not expecting any tension at the dinner in April, despite PGA banning LIV Golfers from competing in its events and the DP World Tour aiming to do the same.

World No. 4 and PGA Tour star Jon Rahm recently said: “I think the Masters Champions Dinner is going to be a little tense compared to how it has been in the past. I keep thinking about it because I wish I could be there and just be able to see how things work out.”

But Garcia insisted: “There will be no tension at the dinner, at all. Each of us attending the dinner are Augusta champions, and you walk into the room treating everyone with respect. So, there will be no tension whatsoever.

“For me, it’s a special week unlike it in golf where I can take the family, attend the Champion Dinner and enjoy competing in the Masters.”

Looking further ahead, Garcia is still holding put hope of playing a part in Luke Donald’s plans for Team Europe at the Ryder Cup in Rome as a captain’s pick.

“I can’t qualify on my own, I have to be a pick and it doesn’t matter how well I play,” he said. “So, the only thing I can do is just to try to play the best I can, and see if Luke thinks I’m good enough to be a part of the team. If not, then we’ll be home, it’s as simple as that.

“We can never go there with a weak team and expect to beat the Americans, even if we’re playing in Europe. So we’ll see, there’s still a lot of months to go until we get there.”