The new Spanish golfing sensation Sergio Garcia launched his professional career in brilliant Tiger Woods-like fashion in Barcelona yesterday. A birdie at his very first hole and three in his first four set the 19-year-old up for a five-under-par 67 at the Spanish Open at El Prat.

And while that left him two behind his fellow countrymen Ignacio Garrido and Juan Carlos Aguero, Swede Max Anglert, and Englishmen Jamie Spence and Anthony Wall, Garcia was naturally delighted.

His score matched that of Woods in his first-ever round as a pro in 1996 - and if he goes on matching the American fame and fortune are not far away.

"I had no nerves," said the player nicknamed "El Nino" and who was top amateur at the US Masters two weeks ago. "The people really love me here and I feel really at home. If I had had a little bit more luck with the putter it could have been much lower."

The least that Garcia now seems certain to achieve in this his first week in the paid ranks is the thing that England's Justin Rose has found impossible in his first 17 weeks - survive the halfway cut in a tournament.

Last year's British amateur champion is aiming much higher, of course, and having out-scored Nick Faldo by three, US Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal by five, Seve Ballesteros by six and Bernhard Langer by seven the teenager sees no reason to lower his sights.

Four times a winner on the course, Garcia consistently outdrove playing partners Langer and Scot Andrew Coltart and showed that his game is not all power.

"His length obviously helps, but it seems he has a pretty good short game too," said Langer, who put his 74 down to jet-lag after flying in from Florida and forgetting to request a late tee-off time.

Garcia began on the 507-yard 10th and after a perfect opening drive - "you always dream about hitting a good first shot as a professional," he said - he found the edge of the green and two-putted.

He was 20 feet from the flag in two at the 497-yard 12th, birdied again, then pitched to within 18 inches on the 357-yard next.

When he hit his second at the 14th to six feet it all seemed so easy, but leaving that putt short reminded everybody that he could make mistakes and a missed three-footer on the 16th meant a first bogey.

Far from being unnerved by that, the teenager covered the shorter front nine in 32 with further birdies at the second, seventh and eighth.

Like the Spaniard, Wall is coached by his father. But whereas Garcia senior is a professional as well, Wall senior is a London taxi driver.

"He's got good eyes and has guided me well since I was four," said the 23-year-old from Sunningdale, now in his second full season on the European tour and already with five top 10 finishes. His 65 knocked two strokes off his lowest round on the circuit. Olazabal's first competitive shot since his Masters triumph was a drive that travelled 100 yards, hitting a tree and coming straight down. He recovered to be three under after eight, but gave all his gains back and complained afterwards about the bumpy greens.

Ballesteros escaped possible disqualification after television replays showed him dropping his ball several yards closer to the hole than he should. The veteran Spaniard lost a ball up a tree on the long 12th hole.

He marched back to where he had played the shot from and played another ball, but it was brought to the attention of tournament officials that his shot was from a different place to the original.

Chief referee John Paramor studied film of the incident. But no penalty was imposed, and Ballesteros's bogey six on the hole and one-over-par 73 stood.

"If a player cannot exactly identify the spot he played a stroke from he has to estimate," said Paramor.

"Seve was probably five to seven yards closer to the hole, but over a shot of around 230 yards from the green we considered he had made a reasonable estimate.

"The place he dropped the ball did not change the shot he faced."