[PHOTO: Jan Kruger/R&A]
Sergio Garcia reportedly made a last-ditch effort to play in this month’s Ryder Cup but his attempt was rejected, according to the Telegraph.
“Sergio Garcia has not paid his £100,000 fine, nor has he given any indication that he intends to,” read the statement. “We will therefore take appropriate action if he continues not to respect the Sport Resolutions panel’s decision.”
In that same May statement the DP World Tour announced Garcia had resigned his tour membership, which made him ineligible for the Ryder Cup. Despite the proposed partnership between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund that was announced in June, those who resigned their DP World Tour membership remain out of the upcoming biennial match between Europe and the United States. (American LIV players, however, are allowed to compete, as the PGA of America, not the PGA Tour, dictates player eligibility for the U.S. team. Brooks Koepka is the lone LIV representative for the Americans.)
Garcia has not played particularly well lately. He is ranked 17th in LIV Golf’s season-long standings and appeared in just two majors this year, his best finish a T-27 at the U.S. Open. The Spaniard has not posted a top-10 at a major since his Masters victory in 2017.
Conversely, the Ryder Cup has brought out the best in Garcia. He has played in 10 Ryder Cups for Team Europe and is the all-time leading scorer with 28.5 career points. Garcia was also one of the few bright spots in Europe’s losing efforts in 2021, as he, along with Jon Rahm, were the only Europeans with winning records at Whistling Straits.
Following the DP World Tour’s announcement in May about Garcia’s unpaid fine, Garcia seemed resigned to his Ryder Cup fate.
“I talked to [Captain Luke Donald] two or three weeks ago,” Garcia said ahead of LIV Golf’s Washington D.C. stop. “Obviously I had to make some decisions when it comes down to the DP World Tour, and I wanted to see where I stood in regards to the Ryder Cup. Luke is a good friend, but I wanted him to be sincere and tell me the truth, and he pretty much told me I had no chance.
“Obviously, that made my decision [to relinquish DP World Tour status] a little bit easier. It was sad because I felt like not only because of my history but the way I’ve been playing, that I probably could have a chance, but it didn’t sound like it, so that’s what it is.”
The 2023 Ryder Cup begins on September 29 in Rome. The Americans are the defending champions, but have not won on foreign soil in 30 years.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
