Photo courtesy of Ben Rider, UA athletic department Freshman golfer Mar Garcia tees off Monday in practice. Garcia, the sister of PGA star Sergio Garcia, joined the women's golf team last week.

The star-studded UA women's golf team has added yet another big name to its roster in preparation for the upcoming spring season - and this one brings quite a reputation along with it.

Mar Garcia, 18, sister of 22-year-old PGA star Sergio Garcia, joined the team recently as a mid-season enrollee and will compete for the Wildcats this semester.

The youngest of three children, Mar followed her brothers from Spain to the United States to play golf. Her older brother, Victor, currently plays for Francis Marion University in South Carolina.

Leaving her friends and family behind to come to the University of Arizona was not an easy choice for Mar, but she said she is coping well.

"It's a little tough," Garcia said about the move. "It's a very different kind of culture. But I'm here doing what I want to - studying and playing golf."

Garcia also said her team members were instrumental in making her feel at home in Tucson.

"Last semester (before joining the team), I was here and I didn't know anybody," Garcia said. "They made me feel like I was part of the team."

Sophomore Lorena Ochoa, the No. 1 women's golfer in the country and a native of Guadalajara, Mexico, has greatly influenced to her new teammate.

"She has helped me a lot," Garcia said. "A year ago, I wasn't sure if coming here was best. But (Ochoa) told me what it's like and what they do here. She spent a lot of time with me and now we are very good friends."

UA head coach Greg Allen said he expects Garcia to make a significant impact on the team. Garcia added that expectations are high, and she hopes she can meet them.

"I feel a lot of pressure," she said. "I will do my best and try to play (well), but I'm not my brother."

She may not be her brother yet - on the golf course - but off the course, it is easy to see the resemblance. Mar has the same charismatic personality and childlike smile that won her brother so many fans across the world.

The 5-foot-5 freshman said she is thrilled with her brother's success.

"It's pretty exciting. It's sometimes like another world," she said. "I remember when we were little kids playing, and he always said he wanted to be great. I'm happy for him now because he's happy.

"When I see him on TV," she said proudly, "I say, 'That's my brother.'"

Sergio is a big supporter of his sister as well. Mar says they have a great relationship and he has always been there for her.

"One time, I was playing in a tournament and I wasn't doing well," she said. "Sergio called me up and said, 'You can do it Mar.' He helps me on my game and (in life) because he is older and knows (things that I don't yet)."

Mar came to the UA to help herself learn some of those things on and off the course and so far, is doing well. She already possesses her brother's fun-loving demeanor and is working on raising the level of her play to match his.

"Who knows?" she said through a huge smile. "Maybe one day they will say Sergio is my brother."