Garcia is ready to give it his best shot

Philip Reid hears the Spaniard recall 'one of the best shots of my career', his second to the 16th green at Medinah in 1999

To be honest, who'd ever have thought it would come to this? On that August Sunday in 1999 when Sergio Garcia went hopping, skipping and jumping after his approach shot to the 16th green at Medinah in the final round of the US PGA as he hunted down the Tiger, the world seemed to be his oyster. He didn't win that day, but it seemed only a matter of time before he'd bag one major after another in his quest for greatness.

The truth of the matter is this. When Garcia, now 26 years of age, steps onto the first tee on his revisit to Medinah, it will be for the 32nd time in a major.

Guess what? The Spaniard has not yet managed to get his hands on a major title, the most recent failure coming in last month's British Open at Hoylake, where he started the final round a stroke behind Tiger Woods and finished up seven back.

Perhaps a return to Medinah, where he once showed such youthful exuberance, will spur Garcia on to greater things. We'll wait and see, but not with any degree of confidence. Too often, he has flattered only to deceive; only, one time, you figure, given his natural talent, he will eventually flatter without deception and actually finish off the job.

One thing is certain, the shot he played on the 16th back in 1999 is one that will always be associated with Garcia. He was a professional rookie at Medinah that year, only turning pro after playing as an amateur in the US Masters, and put Woods to the pin of his collar in the final round.

Rather than Woods holding on bravely to win, the shot that epitomised that particular championship was Garcia's second shot on the dogleg 16th. His tee shot ended up in the right rough, dangerously close to the base of a large red oak, in a small indentation between two roots. He had 189 yards to the flag, but rather than chip out, Garcia took a lash at the ball with a six-iron, closing his eyes on impact and risking a wrist injury, and then followed the missile's progress to the green by sprinting onto the fairway and after the ball.

Garcia is constantly reminded about the shot.

"It's definitely one of the best shots of my career, under the situation and everything," he remarked yesterday.

Even Woods, in the match ahead on that final Sunday, is minded time and time again of it. "I'd just walked on the (17th) tee and I saw Sergio hit the shot. I didn't really pay much attention to it until I saw him sprinting," recalled Woods, "and, obviously, that's when I took notice . . . I heard the crowd erupt around the green, so it obviously had to be darn good."

Woods, though, having missed the green on the 17th, got up and down for a par that was to prove crucial in ultimately fending off the charging Garcia.

That tree from where Garcia played his second shot on the 16th has become one of the most famous in golf. Since then, countless players have placed a ball in that spot and tried the shot.

"Everybody and their brother has tried that shot," said Mike Harrigan, head professional at Medinah for 15 years until 2003. "It was tried 100 times every day for the next year. They were digging a trench out there. Everybody wants to try it, but I don't think anyone can pull it off."

Garcia's Tree, as it is now called, has since suffered storm damage and lost a few limbs. But it is still there, although Garcia resisted the temptation in practice to re-enact the shot. He won't want to repeat it during the championship either, as he seeks to end his quest for that elusive major in which his putting has proven to be his Achilles heel.

Can this be the week when he finally gets it right for four days?

"It's just a matter of keep putting yourself in that position. At the end of the day, you can only try your hardest," said Garcia.