Sergio Garcia remains one of the most notable golfers to have never won a major but the Spaniard still believes he will get his hands on the Claret Jug one day.
The 35-year-old has finished in the top-10 at the Open eight times and was runner-up twice, including last year when world number one Rory McIlroy was victorious at Royal Liverpool. But Garcia has not given up hope that his time to be the Champion Golfer of the Year will come.
He said: “In the back of my mind, I do believe I’m going to win this event at some point. But nothing is for sure. I could have an accident tomorrow and never play in another Open.
“I really feel as though I have an Open win in me based on the history I have with this event and things I’ve been able to achieve in the past on this type of course. But I don’t have a crystal ball.”
Garcia would love to end his wait for a major at St Andrews, the venue where his fellow countryman, the late great Seve Ballesteros, claimed the second of his three Open championships in 1984.
He said: “To come here and win the Open would be extremely special as it’s St Andrews – the home of golf – and remembering what Seve did here would make it an even more amazing experience.
“We don’t want to get ahead ourselves because there’s a lot of things we need to do right to have that chance.
“The challenge is to give myself a chance, as I did last year when I played well to give myself a possibility of winning.
“I didn’t watch it live but I’ve seen replays of Seve in 1984 and it’s great watching him throwing punches this way and that way. It is special.
“I’ve always said that this is the best championship we have in golf, no doubt about it.
“It would be amazing to win it. If I could stand here and say I could only win one tournament for the rest of my life, I would obviously choose the Open. It doesn’t necessarily have to be one at St Andrews – I’d take a win at any of the venues.”
However, Garcia says there is something particularly magical about the Old Course.
He added: “I love the fact it starts and finishes in the town.
“We play St Andrews every five years and that makes it more special because you never know when it is going to be your last Open here.
“You don’t know if your game is going to be good enough to get you back five years later.
“You don’t know if your health is going to be good enough. Every time you come here you want to suck it all in, just in case.”