If anybody doubted the importance of Sergio Garcia to the Europe team, then Robert Karlsson's description of the irrepressible Spaniard would go some way to convincing them.

"When you've got Sergio, it's not so much mental preparation, is it? It's just try to have as much fun as you can and enjoy the time," Karlsson said. "He adds a lot of fun and anything is possible. He has a lot of passion, a lot of fun in the rooms, a lot of joking and a lot of energy. He's very, very important. The team would never be the same without him. I think he seems to grow when he's not only doing it for himself. He really seems to love being around people and he knows that if I win, I win for 11 more people, not only for myself."

Boo's on the hunt

First he said he had not looked at the 12 names on the European team - and then he talked about hunting them down. That's Boo Weekley for you, a player who has attracted attention for his antics with alligators and orangutans. True or not, the stories have brightened up the world of golf in the States and could certainly do the same at the Ryder Cup.

Asked how the American team might perform with six rookies in the side, he said: "On paper, we're the underdogs. You don't know what you've got until you get out there and play. It's like getting a new pack of hounds ... and going deer hunting. You don't know what kind of dogs you've got until you run them. So let's run them and see."

Oliver Wilson gives the Americans a lecture

First we had Hunter Mahan inadvisedly spouting forth about the Ryder Cup and the feeling that the United States players were "treated like slaves". Now we have Oliver Wilson offering his opinions on why the Americans keep losing. As rookies, they would have been better advised to keep their opinions bland.

"I remember the last time," Wilson said. "I think America wanted to analyse why they lost. 'Well, it's all about team camaraderie, Europe has more camaraderie'. That's ridiculous. They could have had 10 Tiger Woods and they weren't going to win. They might have admitted that to themselves, but they didn't really seem to want to admit that to anyone else. The quality of Europe's golf was unbeatable, really.

"That's what I find funny about the American side when they've lost the last few. They're always looking for a reason, they're looking for this golden answer, but there isn't one. It's simply the fact they were outplayed. I'm not sure they realise that or not."

True or not, Wilson might have been better advised to keep quiet. The pressures at the Ryder Cup big enough as they are. Why draw even more attention to yourself?

McGinley backs Poulter to card well

He might have decided against a vice-captain's role in Nick Faldo's Ryder Cup squad - preferring instead to try to play his way on to the team - but Paul McGinley has brought some influence to bear on the side, spending 30 minutes on the phone to Ian Poulter, encouraging a player whose selection as one of Faldo's two wildcards has been criticised in many quarters.