Sergio Garcia ‘hopeful’ over Ryder Cup verdict

The Ryder Cup’s most decorated player still hopes he can revive his career in the contest. 

Sergio Garcia is the leading points scorer in Ryder Cup history and was a shoo-in as a European captain in the future before his defection to the LIV Golf League in 2022.

But the Spaniard faces several hurdles to achieve his ambition of representing Europe once more after resigning his DP World Tour membership alongside fellow stalwarts Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter last May.

It is understood that Garcia has been told to pay fines of close to £900,000 for competing in conflicting LIV events, while the 44-year-old also missed a November deadline to re-apply for membership on his former European circuit.

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Yet Garcia still appears hopeful that a resolution to the ongoing peace talks between the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) and the PGA and DP World Tour’s may offer him a pathway to the next renewal at Bethpage Black in 2025.

“I look at it two ways. If I’m not able to play anymore it’ll be a little bit sad,” Garcia told Golfweek during a fundraiser in Texas.

“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.

“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.”

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Luke Donald already faces plenty of selection headaches ahead of next year’s showdown at Bethpage, including the eligibility of Garcia and his fellow LIV players Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton, who played such important roles in the success in Rome.

Rahm, who has retained his DP World Tour card, stressed before last year’s match that his close friend Garcia can still play an important role in future matches.

“I think it would be really stupid of anybody not to lean on Sergio Garcia’s experience in the Ryder Cup,” Rahm said.

“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.”

The Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black takes place from September 25-28, 2025.

Ben Parsons joined bunkered as a Content Producer in 2023 and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.