It was plain to see from a very young age that Sergio Garcia was a star in the making. At just 14 years of age he became the youngest ever player to make the cut in a European Tour event. Sergio's amateur career was littered with success with the young Spaniard winning his first professional event - the 1997 Catalonian Open - when still a 17 year old amateur. Garcia joined the pro ranks on 21st April 1999 - shortly after he had finished as the leading amateur at the Masters - and it was not long before his great talent began to shine through. 'El Nino' captured the Irish Open in just his sixth event as a professional but it was at the PGA Championship later that year that he really caught the eye. In a thrilling finale Sergio chased Tiger Woods all the way but,ultimately,had to settle for second place. Garcia started the tournament in fine fashion with a round of 66 and followed it up with efforts of 73,68 and 71 to finish just one stroke behind Tiger at ten under par. At the 16th he produced a miraculous recovery from behind a tree to reach the green and then thrilled the galleries by galloping up the fairway to see where his ball had landed. His magnificent form in his first few months as a professional meant Sergio made the 1999 Ryder Cup team and in doing so he usurped Nick Faldo as the youngest ever to play in the event. Garcia performed brilliantly in partnership with Jesper Parnevik to gain three and a half points from four,but went down to Jim Furyk in the singles as the Americans staged a dramatic fightback from 10-6 down at the end of day two. (David Scranage)