Sergio Garcia not interested in being 'Tiger Woods 2'

Sergio Garcia may have made a sensational pro debut last week in the United States, but on Thursday the 19-year-old said his future is on the European golf tour.

"It's a great tour. The states is also a great place to play and I will play some there but I will focus more on Europe," said Garcia, who is being showered with more praise as a talented teen-ager than anyone since Tiger Woods.

Garcia, nicknamed "El Nino," is just one of the highlights at the $2.1 Deutsche Bank Open which starts Friday and boasts the strongest field in Europe in years outside of the British Open.

Woods will tee off in his first tournament played on the continent, along with Mark O'Meara, two-time U.S. Open champion Ernie Els and a resurgent Colin Montgomerie, hunting for his second straight tour title.

Six of the world's Top 10 players have been lured to the event.

The tournament organizers have made no secret of the fact they wanted to assemble the most glamorous field ever for an event in Germany, where golf is booming but still ranks as a minor sport.

Woods, a big name even in Germany, is reportedly receiving $1 million in appearance money.

Garcia may not be a Top 10 player yet, but he made big waves by finishing tied for third in the Byron Nelson Classic last week in his first professional appearance on the PGA Tour.

That came after a brilliant amateur career in which he won 70 titles, a bio not unlike Tiger Woods.

"If I am compared to good players like Tiger or Seve (Ballesteros), it's because you have something in your game," Garcia said. "But I just want to be recognized as Sergio Garcia, not the European Tiger Woods."

This will be the first time a European tour event has been held at the St. Leon Rot course, regarded as relatively flat and long.

"I like the course. It's in great shape. If the wind blows, I don't think it will be won by too many under par. It will be a tough tournament," Garcia said.

The field grew even tougher when Britain's Lee Westwood, who had been troubled by arm and shoulder problems, said he was fit to defend the title he won last year. Westwood, ranked sixth in the world, had missed two events.

Garcia would like to play in this September's Ryder Cup, despite the fact the Deutsche Bank Open will be just his second professional tournament in Europe.

But the Spaniard's prodigious talent has so impressed people that no one is dismissing his chances of making the European Ryder Cup team outright, not even competitors hoping to break onto the team, such as Sweden's Jesper Parnevik.

"Sergio is the guy supposed to take over the crown in Europe and the sooner he gets Ryder Cup experience the better," Parnevik said. "He's going to have a lot more top finishes, he definitely has the fire and spirit."

AP