Garcia arrives bruised but unbowed

Other than a slight bump over his left eye, there was no indication that Sergio Garcia had been through the wars. "Like Evander Holyfield after a fight" was how his manager, Jose Marquina, had described the effect of a nasty abscess which closed the eye and caused him to miss the St Jude Classic in Memphis three weeks ago.

The 19-year-old Spaniard was looking decidedly chipper on his arrival at Druids Glen yesterday for the Murphy's Irish Open. And part of his delight stemmed from having passed the written exam for his driving licence the previous day. "I had only two questions wrong out of 40," he said with the sort of glow generally reserved for course records.

Things happen quickly for talented golfers of his age. All of which tends to enhance the stabilising impact of a recently-signed five-year contract with adidas shoes. As Marquina put it: "Sergio is now aware that he's financially secure. He doesn't have to worry about making birdies to put money in his bank account."

His last European appearance was in the Volvo PGA Championship at Wentworth, which proved a success for him. Yet it could have been so different when he was four over par for the tournament with three holes of his second round to play.

The response was dynamic. A 12-foot putt found the target for a birdie at the 16th; he went on to par the 17th and then finished the round with a glorious eagle three. That was the product of a drive into the right rough and a three-iron second shot of 223 yards which came to rest within four feet of the pin. Instead of departing the scene, he qualified on the limit.

Typically, he rode his good fortune to shoot a final round of 66 which included a run of 2,3,3 - birdie, birdie, eagle - from the short second to the 501-yard fourth, which he reduced to a three-wood, four iron and two-foot putt. "He's about two clubs longer than Mark O'Meara," said his American caddie, Jerry Higginbotham, who teamed up with Garcia after splitting with the reigning British Open champion earlier this year.

Higginbotham, who is at Druids Glen for the first time with his young master, suspected he had made a wise move when in their first competitive round together, Garcia shot an eight-under-par 62 in the Byron Nelson Classic on May 13th. "After that, I felt I had a little job security," said the caddie with a quiet smile.

As it happened, Garcia went on to finish third for prize money of $144,000. And after Wentworth, he was back in the US where he gained a share of 11th place in the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village on June 6th, for a cheque for $58,650, bringing his American earnings to $202,650. He didn't attempt to qualify for the US Open because "when I tried, the entries were closed". But he added: "I didn't want to from the beginning, because it would have meant playing five weeks in a row." When the abscess appeared the week before Pinehurst, however, his plans to play in Memphis came undone.

So he withdrew and went home to Spain where he practised every day and prepared for his driving test. "I haven't driven yet," he said in a reference to the practical phase of the test. "That will come after the British Open."

He has also been applying himself to schoolwork, which will remain a part of his life until this time next year. Though there haven't been any exams this year, he still had to do some paperwork for his teachers and will be expected back in the classroom next October.

His route into the Irish Open has been very similar to that of compatriot Jose-Maria Olazabal, who played as an amateur on a sponsor's invitation at Royal Dublin in 1985, when he was tied 34th behind Seve Ballesteros. On his Irish Open debut as an amateur last year, Garcia set Druids Glen alight with an opening round of 68 for a share of second place behind Colin Montgomerie, before slipping to an eventual 60th place finish.

How did he feel about the absence this week of Olazabal, who broke a bone in right hand when hitting a wall in frustration after an opening 75 at Pinehurst? His response revealed a cool maturity, way beyond his years. "It's disappointing, but these things happen," said Garcia.

"Some kids want to go out there and birdie every hole, but Sergio is extremely patient," said Higginbotham who, at 48, is the same age as the player's father, Victor. "I'm very surprised at how seasoned he is. In fact the only weakness I can see is that he doesn't control the ball too well out of the rough."

Over the years, the American has worked with such celebrated players at Ben Crenshaw and David Graham, before moving on to O'Meara, who won the double of the US Masters and British Open last year. So, how did he view the immediate future for Garcia?

"We should see the best of him within the next two years," he said. "In other words, I expect him to have won a few tournaments by the time he's 21." When, no doubt, he will be an accomplished driver, both of titanium and horsepower.