Sergio Garcia celebrates through the 2021 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits.
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The 2025 Ryder Cup press convention with captains Keegan Bradley and Luke Donald in New York earlier this week was little greater than a formality. The occasion was held to mark that we’re roughly 12 months away from Workforce USA taking up Workforce Europe at Bethpage Black subsequent fall. Nonetheless, buried inside the presser got here loads of intrigue a few explicit Ryder Cup legend: Sergio Garcia.
We weren’t anticipating to listen to information about Garcia, a LIV golfer ranked 390th on the earth, however that’s as a result of there’s loads of smoke within the recreation proper now. You need to wade by it. Garcia has performed like among the finest gamers on the planet for almost all of 2024 — DataGolf ranks him twenty second — and would profit Europe in a enjoying capability. On the very least he might serve in an assistant captain position, too. However he has some work to do first.
Garcia’s title got here up through the press convention in a really blatant means: What does Sergio Garcia must do to have an opportunity to make the workforce? Donald volunteered some data we didn’t beforehand know: that the European captain has been in contact with Garcia in current weeks, and the Spaniard is contemplating making strikes to rejoin the DP World Tour, a obligatory step if Garcia has any hope of enjoying for Donald subsequent fall.
“Effectively, to start with, clearly he resigned his membership a pair years in the past,” Donald mentioned Tuesday. “However we’ve got had some chats. He’s contemplating rejoining. He’d need to comply with all the foundations and rules like everybody else, and if he does that, once more, he can be eligible to partake within the Ryder Cup.”
A pure follow-up query got here a couple of minutes later. Do you suppose that’s a severe possibility?
“Yeah, we chatted on telephone a pair weeks in the past,” Donald mentioned. “You understand, he’s definitely very curious about doing that. He understands all the pieces that’s concerned, and once more, the choice has to go to him, whether or not he’s ready to do all that.”
Most golf followers have been made conscious of the Ryder Cup accessibility rules in current months, as Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton have strained their schedule (and filed appeals) to play at the least 4 tournaments on the DPWT to keep up membership for 2025. The one option to qualify for the Ryder Cup workforce is to first be a member.
Garcia’s plight is comparable however totally different. The 44-year-old was amongst plenty of LIV gamers who have been as soon as DPWT members and fined for collaborating in tournaments and not using a conflicting occasion launch kind. Garcia was one of many solely LIVers to stubbornly refuse to pay these fines, in the end resigning his DP membership in 2023. To regain membership, these fines should first be paid, a call already adjudicated by an arbitration decide.
If Garcia does apply for membership (his agent didn’t reply to a request for affirmation), he can thank his former self for making that course of simple. Due to rating fourth on the DPWT profession cash listing — and since he has gained plenty of instances on the DPWT (together with a significant) — Garcia would qualify through the Legends class. Whereas Garcia’s reinstatement pursuit seems strictly about enjoying in a single particular occasion subsequent September, the Legends categorization would additionally enable him simple entry into virtually any DPWT occasion he want to play … as long as he has paid his fines and served suspensions, or filed an enchantment much like what his LIV stablemates, Hatton and Rahm, did this summer time.
The following Ryder Cup continues to be a yr away. However in New York, fervor is constructing
It’s that final level that’s the stickiest. Garcia is contracted to play a full 2025 LIV Golf schedule, which would come with 14 tournaments from February by September. Relying on how the occasions lay out on the calendar — LIV’s schedule just isn’t finalized but — Garcia must serve 14 weeks price of DPWT suspension and in addition pay 14 weeks price of fines. Because it presently stands, members who compete on LIV Golf throughout weeks the place the DPWT is internet hosting an occasion obtain a £100,000 fantastic.
Briefly, it’s going to price Garcia loads of cash to make this Ryder Cup actuality come true, nevertheless it looks as if one thing he’s eager to do. James Corrigan reported for The Telegraph in 2023 that Garcia was prepared and keen to repay his fines for a spot within the Ryder Cup held in Rome. That tally, Corrigan reported, had reached £700,000. LIV has even entertained the concept of paying fines on behalf of its gamers. Bob Harig reported for Sports activities Illustrated that LIV approached the DPWT about paying Jon Rahm’s fines, however was denied.
Ultimately, if this saga performs out like Garcia appears to need, it’ll come all the way down to him incomes one in every of Captain Donald’s six wildcard picks. Ryder Cup Europe lately introduced the qualifying standards, which notably doesn’t consider any performances on LIV Golf. Garcia shined in LIV occasions this yr, profitable as soon as and ending second 3 times. How does that rank for Donald? We should wait and ask him because the outcomes roll in subsequent summer time.
Garcia might definitely carry out higher in main championships, however that will start with him truly getting in to main championships. As a former Masters champion, Garcia may have a tee time in Augusta in April, however no different majors are assured to be a part of his schedule. He can be counting on an invitation from the PGA Championship or advancing by remaining qualifying for the U.S. Open and Open Championship. He has not completed within the prime 10 of a significant since profitable the Masters in 2017.
