It is a long tradition of the Players' Championship that the winner donates one of his clubs towards a collection on permanent display at the TPC Sawgrass complex in Florida.

Sergio Garcia's contribution last May was, appropriately, the TaylorMade Bubble driver he used to lead the field in driving accuracy. On the way to claiming his sport's unofficial fifth major by beating Paul Goydos in a play-off, Garcia hit 43 out of 56 fairways and at one stage he found 19 consecutive fairways.

Officials at Sawgrass had better make sure that driver is securely locked away, because Garcia may well ask for it back ahead of starting the defence his title over the 7,220 yards Stadium course tomorrow.

That's because the 29-year-old Spaniard has entered his second decade as a professional with his game, and especially his driving, in a state of disarray.

Statistics compiled by the PGA Tour in the United States confirm a tale of woe. Having last week missed his first cut in 13 months after returning a 78 in the second round of the Quail Hollow Championship, Garcia now finds himself lying 153rd in driving accuracy, 135th in scoring with an average card of 71.58, and 122nd on the Tour money list. His frustrations got the better of him at the Masters last month when, having tied for 38th place, he attacked the condition and fairness of Augusta National.

Garcia, who has alluded to personal problems away from golf, admitted: "I am obviously not feeling 100 per cent with my game, and it shows. I'm just not having a great time on the course.

"It's one of those stages in your life, in your career, that you've got to get through. But we're all fighters. We all go through these things. It's a matter of keeping going at it and waiting for things to change, just holding on for something good that will help you. That's what I'm searching for.

"This is obviously a good place for me, so hopefully I can turn things around and start going in the right direction."

That is for tomorrow. Today, Garcia's challenge is to find a television station in the United States showing the Champions League semifinal second leg between Chelsea and Barcelona.

Garcia is a Real Madrid supporter, but still hopes Barcelona win through to face Manchester United in the final later this month. "That's the Spanish guy I am," he said. "And I've got a feeling Barcelona are going to do it.It's a joke how well they're playing. It's just awesome to watch."