Sergio Garcia, always a fast learner when it comes to golf, says he has already learned one important lesson about playing the U.S. Open -- before he has even played his first.

Patience, the 20-year-old Spaniard said on Tuesday, is the key to success in major championships.

"You have to realize that U.S. Opens, and majors, are tough mentally," he said at Pebble Beach Golf Links, where he will play in his first U.S. Open starting on Thursday.

"You've just got to be very patient and realize that sometimes even if you make bogey it's not that bad."

That is especially true in the U.S. Open, where organizers set up the golf course with the hope that no one will break par for 72 holes. Last year at Pinehurst, for example, only winner Payne Stewart finished the four rounds under par -- and by just one stroke.

"If you play well and stay patient, you can always win a U.S. Open or any major," said Garcia, who won his first professional tournament while still a 17-year-old amateur.

Despite his tender age, Garcia, who turned professional 14 months ago, has already shown that he can play at the highest levels of golf.

After being low amateur in the 1999 Masters, Garcia, who did not qualify for the U.S. Open, played badly in the British Open at Carnoustie and missed the cut. However, he bounced back quickly from that disappointment and battled Tiger Woods down to the final hole in the PGA Championship at Medinah in August, finishing one shot behind the victorious American.

Garcia also proved his mettle in the Ryder Cup in September, winning 3-1/2 points in partnership with Jesper Parnevik.

He knows his time will come in the majors -- as long as he remains patient.

"I think I have to take my time," he said before heading out for his second practice round at Pebble Beach. "If I win now, that will be great. But the good thing is that I'm only 20 years old, so I'm hopefully going to play a lot of majors -- and hopefully I'll be able to win some of them.

 

Sergio Garcia practicing at Pebble Beach before the US Open. Allsport

"I think you've just got to try to play well. If you win, perfect. If not, just wait."

Garcia -- whose nickname at home is "El Nino" -- is also wise enough to know he should not get absorbed in trying to beat Woods, the world's top player and the heavy favorite to win his first U.S. Open this week.

"I think if you focus on one player, and you're trying to do some of the stuff he does, it can be bad because you forget about yourself," he said.

"You've got to try to be your own person and realize you're going to have some bad tournaments. Just try to be yourself and just try to play your own game."

Garcia found out how important it is to be himself earlier this year, when he struggled with his game after hiring Fanny Sunesson, Nick Faldo's long-time caddie, to carry his bag. The partnership did not last long.

"It was tough at the beginning of the year because I wasn't playing my best. I wasn't thinking as well as last year, too," he said. "I was trying to play more the way my caddie wanted me to play than my way. And that probably hurt a little bit."

Garcia tuned up for this week's Open by finishing third, just one shot out of a playoff, at the Westchester Classic.

"I played very well -- and that's always important coming into a major like the U.S. Open," he said. "I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do here."

He just has to be patient.