Garcia playing the waiting game

He was a teenager in a hurry when he burst on to the scene 11 years ago. With time though, the Spaniard has matured and patient.

Eight-time European Tour title-winner Sergio Garcia is hoping to work his way into the top five in the world rankings this year.

Sergio Garcia, the Spanish golfer who celebrated his 30th birthday earlier this month, has plenty of time on his side. His patience, he says, is something he is continuing to improve. The young man from Castellon turned professional in 1999 and showed no signs of waiting in his pursuit of prestige, picking up two titles in his maiden year on the European Tour and pushing Tiger Woods all the way at the PGA Championship in Illinois. His performance at Medinah Country Club resulted in him being labelled "golf's newest phenom" by Sports Illustrated.

Likewise last season, with the first Race to Dubai getting under way in China, it was Garcia who impatiently ploughed his way to the top of the rebranded Order or Merit money list with victory at the HSBC Champions in Shanghai. His desire to emulate last season's strong start has seen him arrive in the UAE for this weekend's Abu Dhabi Championship nursing an injury. The Spaniard sprained his right wrist during the Dubai World Championship in November and has been out of action since. He said, with no bones broken, he was happy to wait, but soon, again, impatience took hold.

"We all thought that three or four weeks and we would be good to go, but it's taken quite a bit longer," he said. "I've only been able to practise for the last week or so, but it's a lot better. "In a way having such a long rest was a good thing, but I'd have liked to not be away from the game for quite so long. When it gets to six weeks and you've only got six or seven days to practice until the season starts, it gets a bit rushed."

Following his success in Shanghai, the eight-time European Tour title-winner found himself at a career-high world No 2. However, a poor 2009 saw him card just one further top-five finish from 16 events and he finished the year ranked 13th in the world rankings. Garcia is aiming to curb the slide this season, although appreciates Tiger's top spot is unrealistic, despite the American's "indefinite break".

"No 1 is always the goal, but hopefully, if my game gets in shape and we have a good year, we will be in the top five or six," he said. Woods could miss a large part of the season because of his self-imposed exile following revelations regarding his private life. Garcia, however, says he hopes the 14-time major winner returns soon. "Hopefully, he'll not be away for too long," he said. "I'm sure he will come back this year. And he'll come back stronger. Only he knows when he'll return, but I think he'll be back before the Masters starts [in April]. Last time he was away, we knew what was going on, this time we don't, so we need to wait and see. But the most important thing is to concentrate on our own game and do the best we can."

In other words: be patient and see what happens - advice perhaps the ruthlessly ambitious Garcia would have been reluctant to take on board as an eager and hungry 19-year-old. "I don't think I am too different to how I was in 1999," he said. "Obviously, I am 11 years older so I am a bit more mature. I have gone through things in life that make you, hopefully, a better person. "My patience now is definitely better than it was when I was 19, but it's always a learning process and I am still working on improving. But, you know, the excitement is still there. The play is still the same; it's just a matter of keep enjoying what you are doing and loving every bit of it."

American author Lyman Abbott once asserted that "patience is passion tamed". Garcia is determined to disprove such beliefs. @Email:[e-mail] Showsports 3 from 12pm