Sergio Garcia may still be searching for his first Major success at the start of 2009, but he owes his high place in the world rankings to a career in which he has achieved a staggering amount for a golfer who may still not have reached his peak.

Spaniard Garcia was just 15 when he won the European Amateur Championship and turned professional four years later after shooting the lowest score achieved by an amateur in the US Masters.

He didn't have to wait long until he came to more prominent attention after a duel with Tiger Woods in the final stages of the 1999 US PGA Championship.

Although he ultimately had to settle for second place behind a man who would become one of his greatest rivals, the image televised around the world of the 19-year-old Sergio Garcia hitting a low fade from behind a tree, sprinting down the fairway and then performing a scissor kick upon seeing the result of his shot did wonders for his profile, if perhaps not his ego.

Sergio Garcia has proved a key player in the European team at the Ryder Cup, losing only three of the 20 matches he has played in five appearances.

After a spell in the relative wilderness thanks to injury problems and swing adjustments, Garcia has come painfully close to Major success in recent years, losing a play-off to Padraig Harrington in the 2007 Open and finishing second to the Irishman in the 2008 US PGA. It surely won't be long until he makes the Major breakthrough.

Sergio Garcia enjoys the lifestyle of a high-earning, fast-living young man and is close friends with a number of other international sports stars, such as tennis player Rafael Nadal and footballer Diego Forlan.