PGA CHAMPIONSHIP RELATED STORIES PGA Championship Home Page PGA Championship Preview Round 1: Karlsson & Singh top leaderboard Round 1: Ernie Els recovers to stay in contention Round 1: Westwood unhappy with course set up Round 1: Sergio Garcia happy despite poor driving Round 2: JB Holmes edges ahead at half way Round 2: Montgomerie slumps to worst round Round 2: Michael Campbell shows a return to form Round 2: Phil Mickelson warns leaders Round 3: Rain ruins play on Saturday Round 3: Romero ties course record with a 65 Round 3: Weir rates 2008 majors toughest yet Round 3: Oakland Hills leaves Azinger with puzzle Round 4: Harrington lifts his third major title Round 4: Garcia loses out to Harrington again Round 4: Curtis misses PGA but makes Ryder Cup Round 4: Mickelson fails to plug the Tiger gap Course Guide: Oakland Hills PGA Championship Scores PGA could be toughest test of the year Sergio Garcia still searching for first major US Ryder Cup qualifying ends this week Par 3's key at Oakland Hills Players eager for PGA Championship Europeans positive about Oakland Hills Steve Stricker has eye on Ryder Cup place Phil Mickelson trying to make year a good one Trevor Immelman trying to find consistency John Daly still a fan favourite Lee Westwood hoping for a breakthrough Memorable quotes about the PGA Championship 2008 PGA Tour Schedule GOLF TODAY TOP STORIES Paul Azinger names US wildcards Faldo chooses Casey and Poulter Havret gains wire to wire Gleneagles win Sluman clinches First Tee Open with closing 67 Fallout continues over LPGA "English" rule Poulter chooses high risk Ryder Cup strategy GREAT GIFTS FOR GOLFERS Golf Breaks to Portugal & Ireland Half Price Golf Vouchers InstructaCard - your portable pro! The Father & Son Golf Ch'ship Golf Insurance

Sergio Garcia happy despite poor driving

Sergio Garcia hit only four of 14 fairways on Thursday yet stayed near the top of the leaderboard with a one-under-par 69 in the first round of the PGA Championship.

“I scrambled nicely,” said the 28-year-old Spaniard.

Missing fairways on the 7,395-yard Oakland Hills layout is often a recipe for disaster with the rough grown thick and its heavily sloping greens making pins a difficult target.

Garcia, starting on the back nine, balanced a birdie at the 13th with a bogey at the difficult 18th, but added a birdie at the 387-yard, par-four sixth hole to get under par.

“I putted good. I chipped good. I hit a lot of good shots into the greens and one-under-par on this course, I’m thrilled with it,” he told reporters.

The Spaniard, who often struggles with his putting, needed only 26 putts.

Garcia, who won The Players Championship this season, said he could not count on rescuing himself from trouble all week.

“Hopefully, I can go to the range and get a little bit more confidence in my driving abilities, because you have to be in the fairway on this course,” he said.

“You can’t be missing a lot of fairways and expect to do well throughout the whole week. It’s too much of a gamble.”

Garcia, who burst on the international scene aged 19 with a rousing runner-up finish in the 1999 PGA behind Tiger Woods, said he would have to use restraint this week if he wanted to notch his first victory in a major.

“You not only have to play very good, you have to play very smart.

“It is hard because we like to put aggressive swings into everything we do, but sometimes you’ve got to realise what’s right and what’s wrong, and to see the gamble is worth it.

“I guess you just learn it as you get older.”