Garcia keen to be in thick of Ryder Cup golf action

Spain's Sergio Garcia is keen to be back in the thick of the action when Europe defend their Ryder Cup crown against the United States in September. A five-time Ryder Cup player, Garcia says he found his role as vice captain for Colin Montgomerie's Europe at Celtic Manor in 2010 rewarding but frustrating. "It was great to be part of the team in the way that I was," Garcia said Tuesday as he prepared to tee it up Thursday in his first US PGA Tour start of the season at the Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club. "But at the same time ... I would not like to do that again because even though you try to help as much as you can, you feel like you're useless. You can't help them with any cubs, you can't help them with any putts. You can't help them with anything. So it feels like you kind of have your hands tied behind your back." So Garcia is aiming to be a full-fledged playing member of the European team captained by compatriot Jose-Maria Olazabal at Medinah, Illinois. "I love the Ryder Cup," Garcia said. "It's definitely one of the goals. I would love to make that team and help my teammates retain the Cup." Garcia, who admits to a tough two years as he struggled with motivation and concentration, finished 2011 on a strong note with two tournament titles in October -- jump-starting his Ryder Cup bid. He was in contention at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship last month and finished tied for fifth at weather-abbreviated Qatar Masters on February 5. To launch his US season he returns to Riviera, in the western suburbs of Los Angeles, for the first time since 2008. He hopes the tournament will be a good springboard for the World Golf Championships-Matchplay Championship in Arizona next week. "I'm excited to start here in the US," said Garcia, who climbed as high as number two in the world three years ago but plunged out of the top 50 during his drought. He's now at 17 in the world and eyeing a return to the top 10. "Probably mentally is what's improved the most, because you go from kind of being a little bit screwed up in the head to really knowing what you want to do on the course," he said. "I wouldn't say I'm like I was when I was 18 or 19, but I try to enjoy the game as much as I did then."