Sergio Garcia missed out on playing at the 2023 Ryder Cup due to his money-spinning move to LIV Golf, but the Spanish golfer now faces a financial hurdle to climb if he wants to return in 2025
Sergio Garcia missed out on playing at the 2023 Ryder Cup due to his money-spinning move to LIV Golf, but the Spanish golfer now faces a financial hurdle to climb if he wants to return in 2025 Sergio Garcia missed out on playing at the 2023 Ryder Cup due to his money-spinning move to LIV Golf, but the Spanish golfer now faces a financial hurdle to climb if he wants to return in 2025
Former LIV Golf player Laurie Canter has urged the European Ryder Cup team to do everything possible to bring back Sergio Garcia, if he resolves his ongoing issues with the DP World Tour.
Garcia, who holds the record for the most points won at the matchplay event, has had a falling out with Team Europe in recent years after resigning from the DP World Tour due to sanctions for joining LIV Golf. This led to him missing last year’s Ryder Cup in Rome. However, seeing his continent win easily, Garcia is eager to join Luke Donald’s team for the 2025 event at Bethpage Black.
To achieve this, the Fireballs captain will have to overcome some challenges, including regaining his DP World Tour membership by settling outstanding fines for participating in ‘conflicting’ LIV events while being a member. Canter, one of Garcia’s fellow LIV competitors, believes that if Garcia complies, Donald and his team should make every effort to include him in the European team.
“He’s played 11 Ryder Cups and he’s our record points-scorer,” the former LIV reserve told Bunkered. “I hope we bend over backward for him when he decides to come back. Having him come to some of the events would be great.
We can argue about his reputation but he’s still loved and known by lots of people around the world. The other thing that doesn’t get said enough about Sergio – the uncomfortable truth, perhaps – is how good he still is at golf.
“He came third on the LIV order of merit. He could easily play more Ryder Cups. My view would be that if Sergio Garcia wants to come and play on the DP World Tour a little bit, that would be great.”
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In a press event in the Big Apple last month, skipper Donald disclosed he’s had heart-to-hearts with Garcia. “Yeah we chatted on the phone a couple of weeks ago,” the captain mentioned regarding Garcia, adding that “He is certainly very interested in doing that. He understands everything that is involved, and again, the decision has to go to him whether he is prepared to do all that, but certainly we have had that discussion yes.”
Garcia himself spilled the beans about their pow-wow, conceding that mutual concession is needed. “If things improve a little bit with the European Tour and the things that they ask for and the things that we are asking for get close, the decision is 99 percent,” he confided to Golf Magic previously. Keep up with us on X for the freshest and finest in sports gossip.
“But if they don’t make things a tiny bit easier, I’m giving up some things, but they also need to give up a few things, and if we can find that middle ground then you will see me playing a handful of European Tour events. If not, then it will be a little bit tougher, but hopefully that won’t be the case.”
Mirror – Sport
