SERGIO GARCIA TEASES RYDER CUP RETURN WITH LIV GOLF DECISION EXPECTED SOON

LIV Golf star Sergio Garcia is expecting news on his Ryder Cup eligibility in the "near future", with the Spaniard desperate to represent Europe again.

The 44-year-old is Europe's most successful Ryder Cup player, winning six times in nine appearances. Garcia is also the points record holder, with 28.5 points.

But his decision to quit the PGA Tour and DP World Tour to join the breakaway LIV Golf in 2022 ruled him out of contention for the 2023 Ryder Cup, with Europe defeating the Americans in Rome in his absence.

European players must be active members of the DP World Tour to be eligible for Ryder Cup selection, but Garcia was hit with fines and a suspension after joining LIV. He made an unsuccessful last-ditch attempt to play in Rome, offering to pay the £700,000 he accrued in fines.

However, a change of rules could be on the cards ahead of the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage in New York. Captain Luke Donald faces the prospect of taking a weakened team stateside after Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton's stunning moves to LIV ahead of the 2024 season.

Several players on both sides of the PGA Tour and LIV Golf split have called for the rules to be changed to ensure Europe defends its title with the strongest possible team. And Garcia believes a decision will come soon, with the issue on the agenda at a Ryder Cup advisory board meeting on Thursday.

“I look at it two ways. If I’m not able to play anymore it’ll be a little bit sad,” Garcia told GolfWeek. “But at the same time, I look at it that I’ve played many, many times. I’ve been successful in it both individually and as a team. So that’s what I take from it.”

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“Hopefully, things will kind of settle and, you know, we’ll see where everything sits at the end. And hopefully, they just give us the possibility – all of us – to be a part of it again if we’re playing well enough. We’ll see where that settles in the near future.”

Garcia's countryman Rahm was a talismanic presence for Europe at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in October as Europe regained the famous trophy. The world number three, whose involvement in the 2025 Ryder Cup is also in doubt, believes it would be foolish for Europe to overlook its most successful player in the tournament's history.

“I think it would be really stupid of anybody not to lean on Sergio García’s experience in the Ryder Cup,” Rahm said ahead of the win in Rome. “I mean, he is the best player Europe has ever had, won the most points and has shown it time and time again.

"If he were able to be a vice-captain, I absolutely would lean on him. Same as we are going to lean on [Jose Maria Olazabal] this coming Ryder Cup, right.”

2024-03-28T15:40:03Z dg43tfdfdgfd