The Open 2012: Sergio Garcia eyes major step by harnessing spirit of Seve Ballesteros at Royal Lytham In 1979, the 22 year-old lifted his first Claret Jug despite driving his ball under a car on the 16th. The moniker of "The Car Park Champion" stuck. Not as an insult, but as an encapsulation of all that made him the idol of the masses. Garcia wasn't born at the time, but does remember the chip on the 18th which denied Nick Price in 1988. Eight years later, as the 16-year-old amateur champion of Europe, Garcia played with Ballesteros at Lytham in a round which didn't so much feature practice as a lesson in how to be adored. "I do think about Seve when I walk through these gates," said Garcia on Wednesday. This place is very special for me, for my country. 1996 was my first Open, here at Lytham, and I got to play with Seve in practice rounds. He spoke to me about some of the shots he hit when he won but the thing I recall most was the people's reaction towards him. It was just the aura Seve had, walking with him let you feel the energy that was around him. The people threw him energy. I can't imagine how it would have been playing a tournament with him, when it was like that during practice days. Back then, everything was so simple for Garcia. Here he was, the heir to José María Olazábal who in turn had been the heir to Ballesteros in Spain's seamless accession of golfing creativity. Sixteen years on and that script is in shreds. Garcia has transmitted some energy but in the past years it has all so often been of the negative variety. In April at The Masters, Garcia came off after a final-round 75 left him 10 shots off the play-off and told Spanish journalists, "I'm not good enough to win a major." How typical of Garcia to deliver the most damning critique of his own career, how typical of Sergio to overlook the fact he has finished in the top 10 of a major 17 times, the top five nine times and the top two three times. Not good enough? Darren Clarke's jaw almost hit the turf when he heard his friend's lament. "Sergio's one of the most ridiculously talented golfers I've ever played with," said the defending Open champion. Of course he's good enough. Clarke made those comments on a hour-long special produced by his and Garcia's equipment providers, TaylorMade. Commendably, Outside The Ropes didn't skip the issue and Garcia was obliged to explain away his self-abuse by talking about the predictable manifestations of deep frustration. "I knew that I had a good amount of top 10s and top fives but I didn't know it was so many until somebody said this week," he said. That shows my game, when I'm on, is suited to majors. It's just a matter of keeping putting myself in the right position and hope things turn the right way. Sport has a way of sometimes giving you things really quickly and sometimes making you sweat for it. There are guys who have chances of winning majors and do it right away. For other guys, it seems like life is testing them a little bit. Look at Darren, we all thought 'is he ever going to win one?' Then when nobody is expecting him to lead and to win, it happens. That's the beauty of it, I guess. He did it when he was 42 so I still have a lot of years. As he is right to point out, Garcia is only 32, but still, at this juncture, he is in danger of being known for his incapacity to take what has always come so naturally in the Ryder Cup on to the individual. Garcia unashamedly loves the fraternity of the team-room. "When you play golf, for good or bad, you cannot hide," said Garcia. Nobody can help you. Nobody can make a bad shot of yours look better, as is the case with team sports. You all know me by now. I am the way I am, that's probably why you love me and hate me. For Ballesteros there was only love. Garcia felt it by extension in 1996 and would give anything to feel it for himself this time around. The Lytham connection could be such a powerful source. "With everything that Seve has done here, and the way he did it, it's very important to me," said Garcia who on Thursday plays with Tiger Woods. I just hope I can give myself my best performance so that I am at least out there having a chance. Having a chance was never enough for Seve. Even a Vauxhall couldn't get in his way.