GOLF RYDER CUP: WHO ELSE but Sergio Garcia to hit the first ball off the first tee on the first day of practice by the European team at Valhalla yesterday? Who else could be given the honour?

For, when it comes to the Ryder Cup, the Spaniard becomes a revelation. For this one week every two years he breathes life into the mishmash of nations who parade under the European flag. One continent united together, and all that.

But nobody can dare to question Garcia's commitment to the cause and, yesterday, as is his way, he hit the opening tee-shot - long and straight, finding the right side of the fairway - as Europe's team, one containing four rookies, set about familiarising themselves with the Jack Nicklaus-designed course.

Here they will seek to maintain the remarkable sequence of wins that has taken in 2002, 2004 and 2006, the last two by record, 18½ to 9½ margins.

Garcia's presence in the Ryder Cup is totemic for Europe. He possesses an awesome record in foursomes (eight matches, eight wins); a hugely impressive record in fourballs (eight matches, five wins, two halves and one loss); and, ahem, a singles record of four matches that features only one win along with three losses.

All in all, a win rate of 75 per cent that has no modern parallel.

For sure, when it comes to the Ryder Cup, El Nino - The Kid - is a piece of work. Even US captain Paul Azinger accepts the role that Garcia plays in the opposition team room.

"Well, obviously, Sergio is one of the most passionate players Europe has ever had. He's along the lines of a Seve or Monty or a Darren Clarke, somebody like that. There's a lot of passion. I just feel like he elevates (his game in the Ryder Cup) somehow. He putts different. He putts better."

Yet, in the past, Garcia has been his worst enemy when it comes to rubbing salt into the wounds of the Americans.

"We lost to 11 gentlemen and one little boy," one US Ryder Cupper calmly remarked after being at the wrong end of one defeat to the Europeans.

If such immaturity has been part and parcel of Garcia's make-up in recent years - and was displayed, it must be said, when he was on the wrong end of a play-off defeat to Pádraig Harrington in last year's British Open at Carnoustie and again evident when he lost out to the Irishman in last month's US PGA - there is an insistence from Europe's captain, Nick Faldo, that Garcia is very much a changed man, but still one with so much to offer the Ryder Cup.

"Sergio's really changed this year," said Faldo. "I mean, he's matured at the speed of light . . . . for me, the moment (that showed his maturity) came when he three-putted the 17th hole on day three of the Players (at Sawgrass).

"You can imagine the old Sergio. Either he wouldn't have made it to the 18th tee in one piece, or his clubs wouldn't. He can deal with things, he has so much more patience. He's a different guy, isn't he?"

Faldo added: "He brings a lot of passion to this team. When you see Sergio, you see Seve. Matchplay is different, he gets fired up. He's fired up on the golf course, and he's great off the course. He's a key member of the team."

Indeed, Sam Torrance, who captained the European team in 2002 at The Belfry, believes Garcia is ready to step into the leadership role.

"I'd say Sergio 100 per cent," replied Torrance, when asked if Garcia was ready and able.

"A few months ago, I spoke to him and told him his role would be different this time. Sergio's not the little boy in the side any more. He's one of our stalwarts."

Garcia's fire and passion is one that has made him an obvious on-course replacement for the likes of Monty coming into this Ryder Cup.

As Lee Westwood, who has soldiered successfully side-by-side with Garcia, put it yesterday: "There's different types of players who do well in the Ryder Cup. I'm fairly placid, where Sergio is all bubbly and jumping all over the place."

If he has had his failings in the majors, the most high-profile being his defeat at the hands of Harrington in the 2007 British Open and more recently the 2008 US PGA, Garcia will put any personal baggage with the Irishman to one side this week.

"I just love the Ryder Cup. I couldn't live without it, definitely, it's amazing. Maybe some guys are made for major championships, like Tiger. Maybe I'm made for the Ryder Cup."

Last evening, as he sat beside Soren Hansen in the media centre, Garcia gave a hint of his new-found maturity.

"I'd rather go 0 and five and win the Ryder Cup than go five and 0 and lose. This week is not about me, it is about the European team and to retain the Cup is all that matters to me.

"In a Ryder Cup, all emotions come out and its nice to live it once in a while."

Is Garcia the new leader?

"I'm not going to stick my chest out and say, 'I'm the leader of this team', no. There are 12 leaders on this team and the most important thing is that we are all together. To me, that's the key thing."