garcia best placed to tame tiger

By Phil Casey, PA Sport

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Europe's hopes of ending seven barren years in the majors rest with Sergio Garcia after the Spanish star's brilliant third round in the Open championship.

Garcia carded a seven-under par 65 for a 12-under total of 204, covering the front nine at Hoylake in just 29 shots to equal the second lowest nine holes in major championship history - only Denis Durnian has shot lower with 28 for the front nine at Birkdale in 1983.

And it gave the 26-year-old a chance to become the first European to win a major since Paul Lawrie at Carnoustie in 1999 - where Garcia finished last after rounds of 89 and 83.

Garcia began the day seven shots behind Tiger Woods but ended just one back and will partner the world number one in Sunday's final round.

Garcia was just 19 when he finished second in the USPGA Championship at Medinah in 1999, playing just ahead of Woods on the final day and memorably saving par on the 16th hole after a second shot played from the base of a tree.

He also played with Woods in the final group in the fourth round in the US Open at Bethpage in 2002, reducing a four-shot overnight deficit to two shots before fading to fourth.

Asked what he had learnt from those experiences, Garcia told PA Sport: "I guess at the end of the day you've got to believe in yourself and just try to hit the right shot at the right time.

"It's definitely not easy but this is what we practise for. You try to do pretty much the same thing as any other round and just commit to your shots. Maybe I'll look at the leaderboard, it depends on the situation, but you can only focus on what you are doing."

The highlight of Garcia's round was an eagle two on the second, his nine-iron approach from 167 yards pitching just short of the hole and rolling into the cup. Four birdies took him to the turn in 29 but he was only able to add one more - on the 18th - coming home.

Looking ahead to the final round, he added: "What I want to do is go out there and try to do the same things, just enjoy it as much as possible.

"I'm hoping to post a good number and hope it's good enough. We like being in this position, it's what we enjoy the most."

Garcia withdrew from the Barclays Classic last month with a back injury and was unable to defend his Booz Allen Classic title, but finished ninth in the Scottish Open last week.

"Fortunately I recovered nicely and was able to have a couple of nice weeks back home practising to get my game in a better shape than was for the last month and a half," added Garcia.

"Last week I played nicely for a couple of rounds and came here just hoping to keep getting better and that's what I have been doing every day."