“I’ve always said it, and I say it from the bottom of my heart,” Garcia said. “I would rather go 0-5 and win the Ryder Cup as a team than go 5-0 and lose it. It’s not about me this week. It’s about the European team, and coming together, and achieving our goal, and obviously playing well and retaining the cup. That’s all that matters to me.”

Garcia didn’t waste any time mixing it up.

Faldo pulled his troops together on the first tee for an impromptu meeting, wanting them to visualize the opening tee shot. Garcia was among the first to chime in, calling it a great start to the week as Europe goes after its fourth straight victory.

It was the first full day of practice — after the team photos, of course — and Garcia spent the day with Ryder Cup rookie Soren Hansen and Lee Westwood, with whom he has teamed to go 4-1-1.

The Americans went out in foursomes, with Kenny Perry and J.B. Holmes whipping up their home state crowd, especially on the 352-yard 13th. Most players went to a forward tee with a 268-yard carry to the island green. Holmes, the biggest basher at Valhalla this week, drove onto the green from the back tee.

“I just can’t imagine what Tiger Woods puts up with all the time, and for one week in my life, I feel like him,” Perry said. “It was awesome. I grinned the whole time. I had a blast out there.”

It’s usually fun during the three days of practice. The matches start Friday, and that’s when it typically changes.

The Americans have not led after any session on any day since they last won the Ryder Cup in 1999 at Brookline, rallying from a 10-6 deficit. The pivotal singles victory that afternoon was Furyk beating Garcia.

And that might be the one area where Garcia is lacking. Out on his own, his lone singles victory was in 2004 against Mickelson. Still, the image of Garcia that day is running through the crowd with a European flag.

His team won, and that’s all that counts. Nothing is sweeter than beating the Americans.

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