Garcia and Sunneson split

Sergio Garcia showed signs of his immaturity by sacking perhaps the best caddie on tour, Fanny Sunesson.

Sunesson, who worked for Nick Faldo for ten years, received her marching orders from the young upstart after crashing out of the Player's Championship on Friday afternoon. But Fanny did not seek out the local unemployment benefit office; instead, she will be carrying the bag for Fred Funk at the Masters in two week's time.
"I think I'm getting the best caddie out there,'' said Funk. "She has been a special friend of mine and Sharon's for a while. We've gotten close. She's very professional. I think she can help me out a lot.''

Garcia hoped that Sunesson and he would gel well together after he sensationally sacked his former caddie Jerry Higginbotham, a man who won two majors with Mark O'Meara in 1998. Higginbotham was successful with Garcia from the start, winning the Murphy's Irish Open and The German Masters last year. But the 20-year-old told Higginbotham that his services were no longer required to make way for Fanny late last year. The sacking shocked Higginbotham, so faithful that he was beaten up in a American bar just after the Ryder Cup because he caddied for the European, and prompted him to say that the boy must learn that it is not the caddie fault for him playing badly.

Only last week he commented that Fanny "still had a lot to learn" in an arrogant style more akin to countryman Ballesteros. The fact remains that it is Fanny who has carried the bag for four of Faldo's major Championship victories, numerous Ryder Cup matches and it is El Nino who should wake up and realise that it is not always the caddie's fault when things go wrong. Obviously a bit of advice he ignored from his former bagman Higginbotham.

When it was announced Sunesson was joining Garcia, the general feeling was that her experience would help the young Spaniard mature. The thought was that Sunesson could be as good for Garcia as Steve Williams has been for Tiger Woods.

But the relationship went sour for both, Garcia struggling to win anything in the USA and Fanny unfairly getting the brunt for his poor form.