Garcia leads Europe charge

A cold, crisp day, denied the heavy rain forecast, provided the backdrop to an exceptional opening day's golf in the Seve Ballesteros Trophy. The quality, alternately produced by Britain and Ireland (foursomes) and Europe (fourballs) provided a tantalisingly stand-off, the teams locked at 4-4.

The old course at Sunningdale responded magnificently to the thunderous rainfall of preceding days, absorbing the punishment with few blemishes. The greens may have been a mite soft but that merely facilitated some exquisite iron play.

This was best exemplified by Europe's fourball pairing of Sergio Garcia and Sweden's Jarmo Sandelin. Playing the anchor role in the afternoon, they simply obliterated the Scottish Ryder Cup axis of Colin Montgomerie and Paul Lawrie: the latter pair were six under-par (11 birdies) when the matched finished on the 16th green.

Garcia set the tone with an eagle at the first, the legacy of an eight iron approach to the par five and a 25 foot putt.

Sandelin weighed in with two birdies and the pair compensated when neither could do better than a bogey on seven by offering a stunning climax to the front nine: the young Spaniard holing his second shot (sand wedge) for another eagle.

The swagger and exuberance which Garcia exuded in his rookie professional season but sadly absent in recent months was once again evident. When Sandelin eagled the 15th, the pair had a better ball score of eightunder and Garcia then conjured the definitive blow with a birdie on the par-three 15th. Three up, the match lasted one more hole.

Britain and Ireland captain Montgomerie could be forgiven for feeling a little shell shocked. In the morning foursomes, partnering Ian Woosnam he had brought home a 2 and 1 victory against the Spaniards Jose Maria Olazabal and Miguel Angel Jimenez. In the afternoon, Montgomerie and Lawrie were six-under, again without a bogey.

Britain and Ireland dominated the morning foursomes, victory in the Montgomerie/Woosnam match complimented by a superb performance from Ireland's Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood who enjoyed seven birdies en route to a 4 and 3 success against Alex Cejka and Bernhard Langer.

The third match finished in dramatic fashion, Thomas Bjorn missing from two feet on the home green to allow Padraig Harrington convert a 14 inch putt for a one-hole victory.

Bjorn, obviously still seething from his faux pas would plough his opening drive into the trees on the first hole in the afternoon but thereafter recovered his composure, providing five birdies as he and Jimenez edged out Clarke and Bickerton by one hole. For the Dungannon man the afternoon would prove a frustrating time, epitomised by 12 foot putts on the 16th and 18th that caressed the hole in passing.

A tired looking Harrington, playing alongside Ian Woosnam, contributed three of four birdies managed by the pairing but Langer and Cejka recorded six to carve a 2 and 1 victory. Montgomerie, though offered a glowing tribute earlier in the day to the young Irishman. "Padraig Harrington is growing into a real star, someone you can really trust to come through and win."

He later pointed out that Harrington had asked to stand down for this morning's fourballs. "Harrington asked to be rested, because he feels mentally exhausted," an obvious reaction to the Irishman's exploits in first Brazil and then the US Masters.

Britain and Ireland's only fourball success came from the English pair of Lee Westwood and David Howells who will have enjoyed their victory over Ballesteros and Olazabal. The European captain decided to reconstitute a Ryder Cup pairing that in 15 matches together succumbed only twice. If only he could play from memory. The fragility of his golf at present was epitomised by the opening drive that careered into the trees on the right, coming to rest in knee-deep undergrowth.

Only once did he show a glimpse of his former incarnation, making a birdie on the eighth. It was a partnership dogged by mediocrity on an afternoon when six under the card or better was required. Ballesteros through was not too dispirited: "My play was inconsistent but for matchplay it's okay. I played three or four good holes then four or five bad ones. I was not disappointed about the way I played."