Garcia has eyes on Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods is back as the world number one - but there is a young Spanish player who has shown in the most dramatic way possible that he might one day wear that crown.

Woods regained top spot in the rankings from David Duval by winning the PGA Western Open for the second time in three years by three shots in Illinois on Sunday night.

But hours earlier 19-year-old Sergio Garcia gave one of the most remarkable performances seen on the European Tour for years to take the Murphy's Irish Open at Druids Glen near Dublin.

Garcia, British amateur champion last year, won only his sixth professional tournament in quite dazzling fashion - and now the sky looks the limit.

A closing seven-under-par 64 swept Garcia to the £166,660 first prize also by three strokes, a performance which confirmed that Europe has a very special new talent in its ranks.

The youngest winner on the circuit for 17 years, already complete with nickname ('El Nino' - The Boy), has now guaranteed himself a place in next week's Open at Carnoustie.

And it will be a major surprise if he does not become the first teenager ever to play in the Ryder Cup in September.

"I was waiting for this," said a delighted Garcia, made aware (if he was not already) that in 1996 Woods achieved his first victory in his fifth professional start.

"I said earlier in the year that with a good week I was able to win and now my week arrived."

His hero Seve Ballesteros, South African Dale Hayes and England's Paul Way are the only other teenagers to win on the circuit - and now Garcia's task, of course, is to try to at least match the rest of Ballesteros' glittering career.

"Seve's been doing great things all his life," he said. "I have also won at 19, but I have to do a lot of things to be like him.

"I am certainly going to try, but I am not going to focus on doing the same as Seve. I am just going out there to try to win again."

Woods won again on his seventh start and Garcia will try to get back on pace with him at the £1million Standard Life tournament beginning at Loch Lomond on Wednesday.

In just 74 days as a professional - and a mere 24 playing days - Garcia has already earned over £300,000.

His first round for money in America was an unbelievable 62 in the Byron Nelson Classic in May and last month he followed his third place finish in Texas by coming 11th in the Memorial Tournament in Ohio.

Those two events did not count for Ryder Cup qualifying, but his four in Europe have and he has already moved to 18th in a points race which has been going since last September.

Garcia has only four more chances to make a top 10 automatic place by August 22, but if he does not make that then captain Mark James can still make him one of his two wild cards.

Even a month ago Europe's number one Colin Montgomerie - joint-seventh yesterday - advised James to "just give Sergio to Olly (Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal) and let him go."

American captain Ben Crenshaw has already commented: "A kid like this is extra special. There's no question in my mind he'll be in the European team."

Garcia said on Sunday night: "I probably still have to win another tournament to make the top 10, but if I don't do that and Mark James thinks I am good enough I will certainly go.

"I am playing well and if I can help the team I would love to play in Boston. But there is a long time until September."

It is normally the youngster's prodigious length which catches the eye. But on Sunday it was his putter.

Garcia holed from 30 feet at the first, 35 on the sixth, 45 at the short 12th and 35 again on the 471-yard next - arguably Europe's toughest hole.

That put him three clear and after Argentina's Angel Cabrera closed to one behind Garcia, who won the European amateur title when he was only 15 and first made a cut in a European tour event at 14, killed off his challenge again.

He chipped to three feet for birdie at the long 16th and put the icing on the cake with a superb iron to six feet on the last. He could have three-putted, but in the true style of a champion he holed for birdie again.

"I have never putted like that in my life. My putter was crazy," he stated before adding that he had outside assistance. And it was not only the American caddie who last year helped Mark O'Meara to win both the Masters and Open.

"The crowd was like a second Sergio Garcia. Half of my win is because of them - they were incredible."

He promises to be back, but at a price. Garcia jokingly told sponsors that he will be demanding a play station and "10 to 15 games" to return.

Three months ago he became the first European ever to win the silver medal as leading amateur at the Masters.

He played with Woods there and there look certain to be many more battles ahead. They should be worth watching.

Woods began his final round at the Western Open with a four-stroke lead and was never threatened to finish with a one-under-par 71 for a 15-under total of 273.

Canada's Mike Weir finished second at 276, one stroke better than Brent Geiberger and two in front of Fiji's Vijay Singh, last year's runner-up.

Woods' 10th PGA victory and third in 14 events this year dumped Duval from the top spot he took from the 1997 Masters winner.

Garcia arrived at Loch Lomond on Monday afternoon sporting a new look to begin his preparations for the tournament.

The Spanish sensation cropped his hair just hours after winning in Ireland and said: "When I turned pro I said that when I had my first big victory I would cut my hair like this. I think you call it a number one."

His victory at Druids Glen coincided with that of Woods in the Western Open at Lemont, Illinois.

Garcia has already been dubbed Europe's Tiger Woods and the pair will undoubtedly take the spotlight at Carnoustie next week when the Open is staged.

"I have always said it is nice when you are compared to good players. But I want to be recognised as Sergio Garcia," he said.