If ever there was a twist in the tale that left everyone with a delightful feeling, it happened over the four days of The Masters at Augusta National last week.

Sergio Garcia’s talent and skills were never in doubt, but his past record at Augusta National did not inspire much confidence going into the first major of the year. On top of that, there were those famous comments of his from a few years ago about how he felt he could not win on the golf course and how he has started playing for second or third place, and it seems understandable that the Spaniard was not on many people’s radar.

But when it mattered, Sergio played outstanding golf to break his major drought. All the heartbreaks of 73 previous majors were forgotten when he slipped into the green jacket with that dazzling smile of his after a sensational final-round duel with his close friend and Ryder Cup teammate Justin Rose.

One of my friends asked me if Sergio was the most popular winner of a major tournament in recent years. You’d think that is definitely the case considering how his fellow competitors and fans have reacted after his breakthrough. He must have got some benefit from the ‘underdog’ status — and that has nothing to do with his game but more with how disappointing the majors have been for him — but in reality, everybody loves Sergio.

Of course, he is an emotional man and someone who wears his heart on his sleeve. There have been many occasions in the past when he has honestly stated his opinion, and got roasted in public. He has had his differences with a couple of players over the years, but almost everybody on the Tour will vouch for the fact that he is a very good human being. And that is just one of the reasons why there has been such a wave of happiness among his peers on his victory.

So, it was not surprising to see Rose — a very good man himself — being so magnanimous and gracious in defeat. I loved the spirit in which both Sergio and Rose played the final round, both patting each other’s back on numerous occasions for good shots. It was sport as it should be — extremely competitive, and yet full of respect for the opponent.

The other fact is that Sergio is just a stupendous golfer and that was very much on display during the fabulous final round at Augusta National. I’d say he is easily one of the top-five ball-strikers in the world. And if anybody disagrees with me, they need to just look at some of the shots he played over the last five holes on Sunday.

Given that he had made a couple of bogeys on the 10th and 11th, and barely escaped with a par on the 13th, one would have thought that Augusta’s famous back nine was about to claim another victim. But the new-look Sergio was just not prepared to roll over and play dead. The way he tackled the tough closing stretch of Augusta National should be part or text books.

Now that Sergio has got his first major, I think he is ready for a few more. After all, age is not an issue with him. I think it is time us professionals to brace ourselves for an extended period of facing El Nino!

— Jeev Milkha Singh is a four-time champion on the European Tour