Study in Contrasts

Most important was the caliber of Garcia's putting. As he has struggled on the greens during the last several years, Garcia had grown progressively more stiff and mechanical in his method, particularly when he went left-hand low. But with the longer "belly" putter that he began practicing with after the U.S. Open (he said Vijay Singh has been advising him to make the switch for two years), Garcia doesn't seem frozen over the ball. He makes a dramatically more fluid stroke, the putterhead swinging in a freer pendulum motion, with a relaxed rhythm that is much closer to matching that of his full swing. For the first time in memory, Garcia seemed in command in the crucial four-to-eight-foot zone, with the putts repeatedly entering the cup cleanly and with perfect speed.

Temporarily conquering his Achilles' heel helped give Garcia a noticeable serenity. He never seemed close to blowing his cool in ways that have led to incidents like spitting into the hole at the 13th hole during the third round of the WGC-CA Championship at Doral earlier this year. As the leader after each of the first three rounds at Carnoustie, Garcia kept his answers during post-round interviews sober, controlling any urges to take a regrettable shot at Woods, who he has in the past called the beneficiary of favoritism from officials and the media. Garcia instead went the other way, paying indirect tribute to Woods when asked the inevitable potential hot-button question about his inability to win a major.

"Sometimes you just have to give it up for the guy that does it and there's nothing else you can do," he said, "except just keep trying."

Unlike previous Sundays at majors where he stumbled early when in contention -- notably at Southern Hills (2001 U.S. Open), Bethpage (2002 U.S. Open) and Hoylake (2006 British Open) -- Garcia started out well at Carnoustie during the final round. His only tentative shots under pressure were poor chips that led to bogeys on the seventh and eighth holes. His ball-striking remained full-blooded on Carnoustie's harrowing back nine, and though he missed some crucial putts, almost all were struck well and had a chance to fall. In the end, Harrington won more than Garcia lost.

It was the toughest kind of defeat. Garcia had led from day one, carrying the pace and the pressure, only to be nipped at the end. "I'd like to commiserate with Sergio," said a gracious Harrington as he accepted the claret jug Garcia must have believed should have belonged to him. "A major, I know, means so much to Sergio."

At first Garcia did his best to hide his disappointment. As he left the ceremony, he threw four gloves and a golf ball into the stands, and acknowledged cries of "Well done, Sergio" as he made his way to his press conference. "He smiled at me," a young woman said. "Imagine."

But at the press conference Garcia unfortunately regressed. His first words, after an awkward introduction that alluded to his bitter disappointment, were a sarcastic, "No, I'm thrilled. Luckiest guy in the world."

The self-pity continued: "I guess it's not news in my life."

"It's funny how some guys hit the pin and go a foot. Mine hits the pin and goes 20 feet away."

"You know what's the saddest thing about it? It's not the first time. ? I'm playing against a lot of guys out there, more than the field."

To some, it undid all the good. It was the venting of a man young for his age. What it confirmed is that Garcia remains a work in progress. The question is: Will Garcia learn?

If so, the improvement will have to come in Garcia's attitude. His reaction to defeat showed that his focus is on fate and victimhood. Champions, however, think about optimism and accountability. When they lose, they don't make excuses or blame luck. They swallow the hurt, congratulate the winner for being better and resolve to get better themselves. If there is a torch Garcia can take from Ballesteros, it is that. It is the attitude -- the right stuff -- that he will need for his first major.

Deep down, like any young man growing up with grudging examples all around him, Garcia knows it. After his first-round 65, he said, "You learn from near-misses."

They don't come any nearer than Carnoustie. It's up to him.