Love on the Links
Masters winner Sergio Garcia set to marry former University of Texas golfer
What an early wedding present. Part-time Central Texan and pro golfer Sergio Garcia, who’s engaged to former University of Texas golfer Angela Akins, notched his first major victory Sunday with a win at the PGA’s revered Masters tournament.
Perhaps it’s no accident that Garcia reached the pinnacle of success in pro golf just three months after proposing to Akins, a graduate of Marble Falls High School and a former host and reporter for the Golf Channel. The two are set to exchange vows July 29 at a private ceremony in the Hill Country.
“I think she’s been a good calming effect on him,” Marty Akins, Garcia’s soon-to-be father-in-law, told the New York Post about his 31-year-old daughter. “He was a great player before he met Angela. I think he’s an even greater player now that they’re together. I do think she’s good for him.”
Very good, actually. As winner of The Masters, the 37-year-old Garcia, a native of Spain, scored the financial version of a hole-in-one — nearly $2 million.
By the way, you might recognize the name of Angela’s father, Marty Akins. He played quarterback for the Longhorns in the 1970s under legendary coach Darrell Royal. Akins and his wife, Pam, live in the Austin area. And you might have heard of one of Angela’s cousins too — New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who was a star football player at Westlake High School.
Angela Akins, who grew up in the Hill Country, is no slouch in the athletic department either. At UT, she played on the women’s golf team. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in journalism from UT, she worked two years as a host and reporter for Fox Sports Southwest. She then joined the Golf Channel.
On Sunday, Akins got plenty of airtime during CBS’ broadcast of The Masters, spawning several stories about Garcia’s fiancée. Those stories feature lots of photos of the beaming couple.
In a “very private ceremony,” the couple will walk down the aisle in July after another big golf event — the U.S. Open, scheduled for June 15-18 in Wisconsin. Lakeway wedding planner Samantha Rosenberg is making the arrangements.
