Garcia's youthful sparkle subdued

It's not that the sparkle has been totally dulled. But the Sergio Garcia we've been seeing at Sawgrass this week is very much subdued from the boyish 19-year-old for whom everything seemed to be a wonderful adventure last season.

Some of this is due undoubtedly to decidedly moderate form this year. For instance, in 10 strokeplay rounds in the US, he has broken 70 only once and has a best finish of tied 35th in the National Pro-Am at Pebble Beach. Otherwise, he missed the cut in Phoenix, lost in the third round of the Andersen Consulting Matchplay and was tied 42nd at Bay Hill last Sunday.

Against that sombre background, even a simple question about fast food seemed to be a matter for serious contemplation. "I like McDonald's but I try not to eat many burgers," he said. "Maybe once in a while."

His general demeanour was reminiscent of the well documented isolation and home-sickness which his celebrated mentor, Seve Ballesteros, endured here in the US at a similar, tender age. Being removed as a teenager from a close-knit family unit doesn't seem to sit well with Spaniards, nor for that matter with Europeans in general.

But the young man tried hard to put on a brave face, even attempting to take solace from not being as easily recognised on this side of the pond. "Last week I spent about two-and-a-half or three hours at Universal Studios (in Orlando) and probably five people recognised me," he said. "So it is pretty good."

His boyishness emerged briefly, however, when details of the Universal Studios visit were sought. "I really loved the Spiderman - it is one of my favourite cartoons," he enthused. "So I really had a great time there with the 3-D. It was a lot of fun."

With that, he insisted that each new professional tournament was still exciting. "Even now, most of the courses I'm playing are new to me," he said. "I have not played this tournament before. In fact I won't start repeating anything until after the Spanish Open (in which he made his professional debut last April)."

Still, it seemed a long way removed from the fun that he and Jesper Parnevik were enjoying as improbable partners at the Ryder Cup last September. "I didn't know Jesper had a heart condition until I read it in the newspapers," he said. "If I'd known about it at Brookline, maybe I wouldn't have got so excited . . ."

He went on: "As a person, I would say Jesper is maybe sometimes a little kind of strange, a little different." Just like life is becoming on tour, Garcia might have added.

Meanwhile, even in the preamble to this tournament, not a day goes by without a mention of the famous, short 17th, where a new fence has been erected to keep the crowds further back from the players. But voices carry. Like that of spectator Dan Breen from Massachusetts during yesterday's practice round.

As Mark O'Meara's tee-shot missed the green but came to rest in the rough above the water's edge, the 73-year-old spectator shouted: "Good thing you can putt." O'Meara snapped around: "Who said that?" he demanded.

As the culprit was identified by several pointing fingers, he bravely repeated "Good thing you can putt". Whereupon O'Meara beckoned him forward, handed him a seven-iron and invited him to had a go. To roars of approval from the gallery, Breen obliged and, almost inevitably, despatched the ball to a watery grave.

O'Meara looked at him with a smile. "Good thing you can putt," he said. Afterwards, Breen acknowledged his mistake. "Here's lesson number one: when Mark O'Meara hits a shot, don't say anything." Especially if it happens to concern the 17th at Sawgrass.