El Nino blows hot to fly the flag for Spain

Victor Garcia sat on a stone ledge outside the lockerroom, relaying the news by mobile-phone to the family back in Spain. His son Sergio, known reverentially as El Nino, had just shot an opening round of 68 which could have been a few strokes better.

As a former caddie who became a teaching professional at the Mediterraneo Club de Campo, Senor Garcia knew the merit of his son's performance. But the young man was more than capable of speaking for himself.

Not even Druids Glen specialist Colin Montgomerie could match his back nine, even though he started with a bogey on the 10th. A two-putt birdie at the long 11th was followed by an amazing birdie three at the menacing, 471-yard 13th where his hero, Seve Ballesteros, later carded a horrendous nine.

Taking the bravest and longest possible line off the tee, with a 300-yard drive over water, he needed only an eightiron to cover the remaining 159 yards to within four feet of the pin. And he also birdied the difficult, 456-yard 15th, which he reduced to a drive, five iron and 25-foot putt.

Then came birdies at the 17th and the 18th, where he hit a huge drive of 340 yards with the assistance of a diagonal breeze, before wedging to five feet. Having covered his opening nine in 32, he went five under for the round with a birdie at the fourth.

With a share of the lead in his sights, however, poor approaches cost him bogeys at the fifth and sixth. He dropped another by three-putting the seventh. Still, he was sufficiently composed to finish with a birdie, sinking a seven-footer at the ninth, his 18th.

Seeing him there, a wonderful talent on the brink of a sparkling, professional career, one was drawn back to a similar sight at Royal Dublin, 13 years ago. On that occasion, the Spanish prodigy was JoseMaria Olazabal, who had also got a sponsor's invitation to the Irish Open, having captured the British Amateur in 1984. Garcia, 18, is here as the holder of that title, which he won at Muirfield last month. His next target is the US Amateur next month, when he will be retracing the steps of the great Bobby Jones, in pursuit of a rare double.

"I will probably turn professional after next year's US Masters," he said in excellent English. "But my next big target is the British Open at Birkdale, where I have already arranged a practice round with Tom Lehman and Matt Kuchar (the reigning US Amateur champion)."

At Royal Lytham two years ago, Lehman placed the claret jug in Garcia's hands and said: "Someday you will win this." Garcia, who displays tremendous power for his slight, though wiry build, is not short on confidence. In his case, the Spanish term El Nino is associated not with fiendish weather, but with the Christ child. A heavenly talent, to be sure.