Sergio Garcia of Spain during the Open de España at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid on October 12, 2025, in Madrid, Spain. (Photo By Oscar J. Barroso/Europa Press via Getty Images)
Europa Press via Getty Images
Spanish golfer Sergio Garcia made his first big mark on golf history when he won The Masters, besting Justin Rose by two strokes in a final playoff round, on April 9, 2017.
Today, Garcia, who has also placed third or better in five other major men’s championships, plays on both the Asian and LIV Golf tours, but says he feels most at home in Austin, Texas, where he’s lived with his wife and children for the better part of five years..
“Austin is such a great city. We both love it,” Garcia beamed during our Zoom conversation last week. “I love the people, love the food here, and our kids are going to school here and enjoying it.”
Garcia and his wife, Angela, are also excited about the fourth annual edition of their own golf charity event, FORE Kids ATX, which takes place this week, November 6 and 7. The kickoff charity event takes place at the Omni Barton Creek in Austin.
The FORE Kids Golf Tournament will follow on Friday, Nov. 7, with an 11 a.m. shotgun start at Fazio Canyons at Omni Barton Creek. At the event, professional golfers and public figures join other scratch golfers to golf in the name of good.
“As members of the Austin community, my wife and I really are focused on giving back.” Garcia added that so far the reception “has been great,” noting that, “in our fourth year, so far we’ve raised over $7 million.”
Past FORE Kids ATX events have brought together hundreds of high-profile guests and golf lovers, including former University of Texas national champion football coach Mack Brown and former professional soccer players Diego Forlán, Gabriel Batistuta, and Joe Hart. All of the aforementioned athletes are returning for this week’s event.
Professional golfers Abraham Ancer, David Puig, and Josele Ballester are confirmed to attend and participate in this year’s event. Since its inception in 2022, FORE Kids ATX has raised over $7 million for organizations that improve the lives of and provide health care services for children and families in Central Texas.
“We’re super proud,” Garcia also said. “We also brought on Chris Harrison and Lauren Zima, which I think should give the event an extra oomph and more visibility.”
Television hosts Harrison and Zima are two of Garcia’s close friends and just joined in on the planning and promotion of this year’s edition of FORE Kids ATX.
“Chris and I are honored to join as partners for FORE Kids ATX 2025,” Zima said, on behalf of the philanthropic couple, in a statement. “Sergio and Angela are dear friends who have done so much for our great state’s most vulnerable children.”
Harrison, a Dallas native, is a longtime television host and producer, best known for hosting “The Bachelor” and its spinoff shows going back nearly 20 years. Zima, an Emmy-winning correspondent and previous host for “Entertainment Tonight,” met Harrison through work.
Sergio Garcia (left) with his wife Angela, Lauren Zima and Chris Harrison.
courtesy of FORE Kids ATX
Zima is a longtime supporter of Experience Camps, an award-winning national nonprofit that transforms the lives of children who have lost a parent or loved one through summer camp programs and innovative, year-round initiatives. Some of the funds raised by FORE Kids ATX will go to Experience Camps.
Brown, who coached University of Texas football from 1998 to 2013 and won the Longhorns an NCAA Championship in 2005, also weighed in.
“Sergio and Angela do a lot in the Austin community to help kids,” Brown said. “We are lucky they have made Austin their home. They add so much to our wonderful community.”
Garcia has called Austin home since 2017. His wife, Angela Garcia, is a longtime Austinite who played golf at the University of Texas and then spent time on-air as a sports reporter and host for FOX Sports.
Outside of their careers and roles as loving parents, the Garcias dedicate themselves to philanthropy in their home state. In 2021, Angela Garcia founded The UGLI Foundation, an initiative aimed at ending bullying. The organization trains ambassadors in anti-bullying solutions and provides financial resources to schools to launch or enhance anti-bullying programs throughout the state. The UGLI Foundation is a returning beneficiary of this year’s FORE Kids ATX, along with Dell Children’s Medical Center.
Golf god, everyday guy
Garcia is one of a handful of golfers from Spain, and part of a short list that also includes Jon Rahm, as well as two-time Masters winners José María Olazábal and Seve Ballesteros. And while The Masters is one of two major championships that make up the fabric of golf in America, Garcia says he and other Spanish golfers still feel like The Masters is a tournament of their own.
Sergio Garcia of Spain celebrates after defeating Justin Rose of England on the first playoff hole during the final round of the 2017 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 9, 2017 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Getty Images
“The Masters is very special, and obviously is special to me, as the one major that I’ve won,” Garcia said. “I like that there is always the option to play and win again.”
But there is another big reason why The Masters is so close to Garcia’s heart.
“April 9th, the day I won it was also Seve’s birthday, and that makes it special, and special that The Masters is usually the same week.”
Garcia cited his fellow countryman’s dynamic playing style, as well as the Hall of Famer’s ability to stage tournament comebacks and play seemingly impossible shots, as part of the inspiration for his own game.
“Without a doubt, growing up, my biggest idols (in golf) were my dad, who taught me the game, and Seve and José María Olazábal. About Seve, I love the imagination he had as a player,” Garcia said. “And he also had unbelievable charisma and the ability to hit shots. He could always find a way, or find a gap, and that was something I always admired.”
Ballesteros, who passed away in 2011, won The Masters in 1980 and 1983, and won the Open Championship three times, in 1979, 1984, and 1988, while also spending 61 weeks at world No. 1.
Regarding Ballesteros’ excellent and creative play, Garcia added, “I’d like to think I have at least a little bit of that. When I play, like anyone, I might not make a good shot, but I’m always looking for a way I can make it, or find a gap, somehow get it on the green.”
Garcia also said he’s cherished his time with Olazábal, who currently competes in the PGA Tour Champions, formerly the Senior PGA Tour and the Champions Tour.
“With José, it’s been great to play with him and be a part of teams with him for the Ryder Cup,” Garcia said. “It was great to be there with him in 1999, when he won The Masters and got the green jacket, the same year that I won the Low Amateur. That was super special.”
