Baby Azalea extends Masters theme in Sergio Garcia's life

For many newly engaged couples, the conversation often turns to having children.

After their engagement on New Year’s 2017, Angela Akins planted two seeds when the topic came up with her fiance Sergio Garcia – that they would have a child and it would come after winning a major.

“She said we should name our first baby something related to where you win your first grand slam,” Garcia said. “I hoped it wasn’t Shinnecock.”

Garcia wasted no time getting the major part out of the way with his playoff victory at the Masters Tournament. They were married in July and announced their pregnancy in October.

Kicking around Masters-related ideas for their baby girl, there were plenty of girlish names to consider – Augusta, Magnolia, Jasmine, Holly. But only one stood out as perfect, sounding a little bit Spanish and English while meaning the same thing in both languages.

Azalea Adele Garcia was born in the wee hours of March 14 in Austin, Texas.

It was the perfect choice since Garcia’s victory last April bloomed out of the middle of an azalea bush on the 13th hole, appropriately named Azalea.

It was from that azalea where Garcia summoned the strength to fight back from a two-shot deficit and an unplayable lie to rally and win the green jacket.

“If it’s meant to be,” Garcia said of the situation that could easily have derailed his major hopes again. “Saturday my ball hit the bank and stayed up and (Sunday) it hit the tree and went into the azaleas. So that was meant to happen.”

The Garcias have enjoyed a very Masters-themed life over the past 12 months. Garcia wore his green jacket for the ceremonial kickoff before an El Clasico soccer match at the Bernabeu, where Lionel Messi’s Barcelona beat Garcia’s beloved Real Madrid 3-2. It showed up again in a VIP box at Wimbledon. Had the Minnesota miracle not eliminated Angela’s first cousin, Drew Brees, and the Saints from the NFL playoffs, the green jacket might have shown up at the Super Bowl.

The most unique appearance for the green jacket, however, came in July on the Akins family ranch. The newly married Garcias burst into the wedding reception tent with him wearing the green jacket for their first dance.

Much of the wedding afterparty's theme was an homage to Masters green – from the icing on the cookies to the special beer koozies to the fireworks display. Even Garcia’s gifts for his groomsmen were Masters-green Adidas shoes.