Garcia entering his fourth decade of Ryder Cup play

Sergio Garcia didn’t waste much time making a point on how he values the Ryder Cup.

He was a teenager — at 19, still the youngest player in Ryder Cup history — and just over five months removed from being the low amateur at the Masters, when Garcia and Jesper Parnevik took down Tiger Woods and Tom Lehman in foursomes at Brookline.

That was his first point. And that was just the start.

Now with more gray than dark brown in his stubble, the 41-year-old Spaniard sets off for his 10th Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits to extend a remarkable run defined by numbers.

He is one of only four players to compete in Ryder Cups across four decades, the first one in 1999, with no reason to think this one will be the last.

Garcia has won 25 1⁄2 points (winning 62% of his matches), which already is the most in Ryder Cup history. That’s as many points as this U.S. team combined. He is two wins away from breaking the Ryder Cup record held by Nick Faldo, which would be sweet for other reasons.

Perhaps most telling is the list of Americans who have lost to him — Woods and Phil Mickelson (four times each), Davis Love III and David Duval, Steve Stricker and Jim Furyk.

“Sergio Garcia loves the Ryder Cup,” European captain Padraig Harrington said, a rare occasion when the Irishman felt no need to elaborate.

Garcia was on stage a few weeks ago with Collin Morikawa, the 24-year-old Californian about to make his Ryder Cup debut. They took part in a Q&A during the Payne Stewart Award ceremony in Atlanta, and with Dan Hicks of NBC Sports as the host, the Ryder Cup was bound to be mentioned. Hicks asked Garcia if he had any advice.

“Share the secrets,” Morikawa said with a laugh.

“I really haven’t done that well in it, anyway,” Garcia said, laughing along with the audience. “No, you’ll have fun. It’s amazing.”