The recent announcement of Sergio Garcia as the fourth vice-captain for the European Ryder Cup team sent a clear message about where the super-talented Sergio stands in his golf career and that is somewhere near rock bottom.

El Ni?o, as he is affectionately known on Tour, seems to be spiraling out of control. At the tender age of 30, you would expect him to be in the prime of his golfing career, winning tournaments and contending in Majors on a regular basis. Instead, he currently ranks a lowly 53rd on the Official World Golf Ranking and he last won at the 2008 HSBC Champions event held in Shanghai.

That was also the year that Padraig Harrington denied him a Major? again. This time, it was in dramatic circumstance at the final Major of the year, the PGA Championship. December of that year also saw Sergio in prime position to overtake the then injured Tiger Woods as the number one golfer in the world. So, how did he end up so far off the mark of his, and fans?, expectations?

Emotions have always been an issue for Sergio, the frustrations of the game sometimes being too much for him. However, put to good use, emotions are an important ally in winning. What is going to stop him is missing greens and not making putts, something the stats highlight clearly for Sergio. He ranks 115th in greens in regulation and has a very poor putting average of 1.8 putts per green. As the golf adage goes: "There are two things that don?t last; dogs that chase cars and pros that putt for par!"

Putting has always been a sticking point for Sergio. When he?s swinging well he?ll stick it close every time and get away with missing more putts than your average 10-handicapper. But, with his swing looking the way it does at the moment, he?s not hitting close, and there is just no way he?s going to win tournaments.

If you have seen him on TV recently, it looks like he just doesn?t want to be out there; it?s like he?s merely serving his time. While his poor dress sense remains, his flamboyance is gone, no longer the idol of many a young golfer.

It?s a real shame, because the guy deserves a Major victory. Given his swashbuckling introduction to the game as a precocious freckle-faced teenager, he should be mentioned in the same breath as other great Spaniards like Seve and Jose-Maria Olazabal. Hopefully, being in the thick of the Ryder Cup action will re-ignite that fire. And if that doesn't do it, maybe he can get a little inspiration from his good friends Diego Forlan and Rafael Nadal. The golfing world needs a competitive Sergio Garcia, probably just as much as Sergio Garcia needs a competitive Sergio Garcia.