The story behind Sergio Garcia and Angela Akins naming their baby for the Masters

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- One thing was certain about the first child of Sergio Garcia and Angela Akins -- it would be named with a golf tournament in mind.

It was also optimistic thinking on their part.

Azalea Garcia was born on Feb. 15 and named for the flower that the Augusta National Golf Club has designated as the floral trademark of the par-5 13th hole. Her father made a crucial par there during the final round of the 2017 Masters after hitting his tee shot into Rae's Creek, and he went on to beat Justin Rose in a playoff to win his first major championship.

The conversations about naming the child began a year before that, when the two were in a serious relationship but not yet engaged.

"We were talking about kids and names and out of the blue [his wife] came up with the idea," Garcia said. "If it works out, timing-wise and place, why don't we name our first kid regarding where you win your first major?"

At the time, Garcia was tagged with the dubious distinction of being the best player in golf to have not won a major. But after he won the Masters, he and his wife began debating appropriate names. Georgia was one. Other flower names used for Augusta National holes, such as Holly and Magnolia, also were considered.

But common language won out. Garcia said the word Azalea is the same in English and Spanish.

https://twitter.com/TheSergioGarcia/status/973921192208936962

"It's the hole that kind of turned things around on the final round and kind of got me going to be able to win the Masters," he said. "It's just one of those nice stories that we'll be able to tell her when she grows up a little bit."

This article is written by Garry Smits from The Florida Times-Union and was legally licensed via the Tribune Content Agency through the NewsCredpublisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.