Yet the Spaniard knows, of course, that many people expect him to do more than win twice in America, once in Europe and top-score in the Ryder Cup.

Another season has passed without Garcia ending his wait for a first major title and, with Phil Mickelson becoming Masters champion after 17 top-10 finishes, the title of “best player without a major” has a number of candidates and he has to accept that he is one of them.

“Yeah, but they always forget to say, ‘the best player yet to to win a major is 24 years old,” comments Garcia.

“I’m not worried about that. If I’m lucky and injuries behave I think I’m going to have so many chances to win majors. I’m just trying to win as many as I can, but I’m sure it will happen.

“This was a year when I had to overcome a couple of things and with all of the practice and the changes I’ve been doing for the past year and a half or so it’s nice to get through this year and play some good golf like I did.

“It’s definitely a very positive year for me. The biggest part of the change is definitely done. I think the sport is in good hands. Here in Europe we’ve had a good run of players like Luke Donald, Paul Casey, Ian Poulter and also there are guys like Adam Scott that are not European, but they’re not American either.

“We’re all trying to get better and better and there are more young guys to come. The best thing about it is the game is getting more and more global and that can only be good for it.”

All 12 members of the Ryder Cup team are present for the final Order of Merit event, but none of them can finish number one. Ernie Els clinched that two weeks ago.

Els was planning to play in America this week, but a finger injury has kept him out of action.

Number two Retief Goosen is there and also missing are Scott, fellow Australian Peter Lonard, German Alex Cejka and Swede Fredrik Jacobson, who as the defending Valderrama champion would certainly have been expected to be present.