Spanish star Sergio seeks his major breakthrough at the US Open

Buoyed by his win at the Players Championship, Garcia will take his shot at a first major championship when the tournament starts on Thursday at Torrey Pines.  

The talented Spaniard added his seventh PGA Tour title to his resume at Sawgrass earlier this year to break a three-year winless streak.

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Eyes down: Garcia practices his bunker shots at Torrey Pines

To do so at an event unofficially dubbed the fifth major proves he is a serious candidate at Torrey Pines.  

"Winning the Players is always something huge, and that gives you a lot of confidence, winning on a tough golf course and probably against the deepest field in golf we play all year," Garcia said.

"It was a great victory.  It's always important to win a big event, anytime you win one of those it gives you a little bit of extra confidence.

"And the most important thing is when you're down the stretch you know you've done it before in a big event against a tough field on a difficult course, that definitely helps. I'm hoping to put good use to that in the near future."  

That win at Sawgrass was definitely a shot in the arm to Garcia, but it is not the only reason he feels better equipped to win his first major.

His short game and putting, long a sore spot in regard to his overall game, have become a strong suit of late.  

"I think my confidence with my short game is much greater than it's probably ever been," Garcia said.

"Last week, I played pretty solid all week but I didn't play that great on Saturday and my short game stood up for me and I still managed to keep myself with a chance to win on Sunday on a tough course and in difficult conditions. It's been a while since I have been able to achieve that."  

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King of the swingers: Garcia lets rip

It has also been a long time since Garcia, an excellent ball-striker, has felt comfortable on the greens. 

At one point earlier this season, Garcia was struggling with his putting  stroke and even showed up at an event with multiple putters in his bag, unsure of which to use.  

Such concerns are a far cry from how he approaches the greens now.  

"It's a great feeling. The thing is when you are playing well but you're not making putts, it feels like there's a lot of pressure because if my game doesn't respond," Garcia said.  

"If you are putting well, even if you are not playing well, you feel like as soon as you switch it over you're going to start putting for birdies and start making birdies instead of saving par."  

This week, if Garcia can save par when he has to, and make his share of birdies, a breakthrough win could be in the offing, as well as his removal from the dreaded best player never to have won a major list.

But being at or near the top of that infamous list is not something Garcia dwells on.  

"I don't think too much about it, I've tried to take a positive out of it," he said. "Like anybody else, my goal is to win tournaments, to win majors, try to become the best player I can."