Garcia tips cap to spectators

Sergio Garcia may be playing on home territory this week - but he didn't expect so many fans to stay watch him play compatriot Alvaro Quiros.

"I give credit - if I was on the grounds I would have walked out. Simple as that," said Garcia after a 2&1 win in the opening group games of the Volvo World Match Play Championship at Finca Cortesin.

"I guess you could say it was a good battle because it was a battle. I can't imagine that was a lot of fun to watch - we weren't playing very well.

"I seemed to hit it nicely on the range and then I go on the course and struggle to hit good tee shots.

"I don't know what the deal is with that. My dad will be here, but I don't know if he can fix me."

Garcia next plays Japan's Tetsuji Hiratsuka, but may not have to beat him to progress to the last 16 knock-out stage. That depended on how Hiratsuka got on against Quiros this morning.

There were also wins yesterday for holder Ian Poulter, second seed Justin Rose, Paul Lawrie, Graeme McDowell, Brandt Snedeker - despite starting with only 10 clubs - and Rafael Cabrera-Bello, while Charl Schwartzel birdied the last to halve with Nicolas Colsaerts.

The story of Snedeker was that his clubs were lost en route from Florida on Monday. They turned up at Malaga Airport yesterday morning, but were still not at the course when he teed off against Thomas Bjorn.

He decided to take some of his borrowed set out so that he could add four when the others arrived - and by the time they were needed he was already three up.

Snedeker went on to win 5&4, but the biggest win was Rose's 7&6 against fellow Englishman Robert Rock, who now has to beat Open champion Darren Clarke just to have a chance of progressing.