Sergio Garcia’s Ryder Cup Career Appears to Be Over
KING ABDULLAH ECONOMIC CITY, Saudi Arabia – One of the greatest Ryder Cup careers of all time is set to come to an unceremonious end as Sergio Garcia won’t meet DP World Tour membership criteria that would allow him to attempt to qualify for the 2023 team.
Garcia, 42, did not enter next week’s Mallorca Golf Open in his native Spain, his last opportunity to fulfill his obligations.
And his once-believed lock to be a future European Ryder Cup captain is in doubt, too, due to the rift caused by LIV Golf.
“I’ve always said I love the Ryder Cup too much,” Garcia said Wednesday in an interview with Sports Illustrated at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club, where he will compete in the LIV Golf Invitational Series Jeddah. “I obviously would love to keep being a part of it. When I see that so many people are against [him playing] … if the team is better without me, I’d rather be out of it.
“There’s obviously several guys who feel strongly that way. The [DP World] Tour is on that same thought. So I don’t want to be something that might hurt the team. I love the Ryder Cup too much. Obviously it’s sad for me, how much I love the Ryder Cup and everything I’ve been able to do with Europe there. That’s the way they want it. I’m just helping out.”
Garcia’s participation in LIV Golf has caused a rift among some of his former Ryder Cup teammates. Rory McIlroy—who attended Garcia’s wedding and has been a solid partner with Garcia in the Ryder Cup—has said he doesn’t believe anyone competing in LIV events should be eligible.
But fellow Spaniard Jon Rahm again came to Garcia’s defense last week at the Spanish Open, where he won.
“The Ryder Cup is not the PGA Tour and European Tour against LIV,” Rahm said. “It’s Europe vs. the U.S., period.”
He later said: “It’s a complicated situation for Sergio. The last time he played a tournament on the European circuit [the BMW PGA last month] he was not received very well, although I would imagine it would be different in Mallorca.”
Garcia is also good friends with Luke Donald (they had a key victory over Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker on the Saturday afternoon of the 2012 Ryder Cup), who is the 2023 captain.
“I’ve talked to him, but Luke is in a tough situation,” Garcia said. “He’s the captain, but at the same time he has to look at all the players, what they’re thinking and what they’re feeling. Also the tour. So it’s a tough spot for him.”
Garcia has played just three times on the DP World Tour this year—the Dubai Desert Classic, the BMW International Open and the BMW PGA Championship—and to retain membership you must play four events, with one being in your home country.
Next week’s tournament would satisfy the home country requirement, and had he performed well in Mallorca he could have possibly qualified for the season-ending Dubai event.
“I thought about it; of course,” Garcia said of entering next week’s event. “It was a hard decision. But unfortunately it doesn’t feel like I’m very welcome there, so I don’t want to be a bother to anyone.”
Garcia said he appreciates Rahm’s support and “we’ve spoken a lot. He knows exactly how I feel. Obviously I was making an effort to make sure I kept my membership. And that’s one of the reasons I went to the BMW [at Wentworth]. I was going to play that and next week. But unfortunately …”
The 2017 Masters champion ended up playing just one round. After an opening-round 76, the second day was canceled due to the death of Queen Elizabeth II. The event was shortened to 54 holes and when play resumed that Saturday, Garcia was a no-show. He withdrew without explanation—he was seen on the sideline of the Alabama-Texas college football game in Austin, where he lives.
Garcia acknowledged Wednesday he has been fined by the DP World Tour. He did not disclose the amount and said his representatives explained his situation. He was fined for not giving a proper medical reason for withdrawing.
“If I have to pay the fine, I have to pay the fine,” he said.
Garcia became the all-time points leader at the Ryder Cup when he defeated Rickie Fowler in singles at the 2018 event. Last year, he went 3–1 at Whistling Straits despite the Europeans’ suffering a 19–9 defeat.
In 10 appearances that date to 1999, Garcia has a 25-13-7 record and has played on seven winning teams. The only time he missed during that period was in 2010.
“It’s been amazing,” Garcia said. “The good thing is the way I look at it is I’ve been fortunate to be a part of many of them and many successful ones. Amazing relationships. Those things are not going anywhere for me. The love that I’ve always had from the European crowds—and also the American fans don’t get me wrong. There’s been a lot of good things. I’ve been able to achieve a lot with the European Tour. It’s not like I feel I have something to prove or anything like that at all.”