Garcia leaves locker room note for Woods

Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia

The Tiger Woods/Sergia Garcia “fried chicken” spat rumbled on at the US Open on Tuesday after the two men failed to have a clear-the-air talk over comments the Spaniard made last month.

The two old rivals did shake hands on the practice range at Merion Golf Club on Monday between the downpours that have soaked the layout outside of Philadelphia.

But both men said they had not had the time to have a meaningful discussion and Garcia was unable to make the face-to-face apology he had pledged to make over the controversial comments he uttered about Woods three weeks ago.

In the end, the Spaniard left a note in Woods’ locker, purportedly saying he was wrong to have said what he said.

“Obviously we saw each other yesterday on the range,” Garcia said.

“I was hoping to meet him after the round, but he was gone after the round. The weather obviously didn’t help.

“And this morning I was here early. I didn’t see him around. Obviously he got here later on. But I did leave him a note. A handwritten note. And hopefully he can take a look at it.

“I understand that it’s difficult to meet up and stuff. So hopefully we’ll be able to do it. If not, at least he has read the note and he’s happy with that.”

Asked by journalists at his tournament news conference to comment on what he had written in the note, Garcia declined.

“I mean the note is for him, so if he wants to show you, then he can,” Garcia said. “I don’t have any problems with that. But I am not going to be the one showing you. Sorry.”

A simmering dispute between the two players nosedived at a dinner ahead of the BMW PGA Championship event at Wentworth last month when Garcia attempted a joke about what he might serve Woods should they have dinner together.

“We will have him round every night. We will serve fried chicken,” Garcia said.

The reference to fried chicken, seen as an insult to African-Americans, sparked a racism furore much the same way that Fuzzy Zoeller had in 1997 when he suggested Woods serve fried chicken at a Masters champions dinner.

The feud between the two had started at the Players Championship last month, with Garcia incensed when distracted by crowd noise he felt had been generated by playing partner Woods.

Garcia later apologized in a statement for his “fried chicken” comments and said that he wanted to do so in person to 14-time major champion Woods when they next played in the same tournament – at the US Open.

But he has gone on record as saying that Woods was not his favorite player on tour.

“You can’t like everybody. There are people you connect with and people that you don’t — it is as simple as that.

“He doesn’t need me in his life and I don’t need him in mine so let’s move on and keep doing what we are doing.”

Woods was in the press tent earlier Tuesday and said that he had received no formal apology from Garcia during their practice range encounter on Monday.

“No, we didn’t discuss anything. Just came up and said hi, and that was it,” he said.

Had there been any apology forthcoming from the Spaniard? “No, we haven’t had time for that.

“It’s already done. We’ve already gone through it all. It’s time for the US Open and we tee it up in two days.”

There had been concerns that Garcia could get a rough reception from Philadelphia golf fans who will head out to Merion from Thursday.

But the Spaniard said that he had so far been delighted with the warm welcome he had received.

“The people have made me feel very good out there, the last couple of days, so hopefully that will continue throughout the week and the only thing I can do is give my best effort and hopefully that would give me a chance,” he said.