Sergio Garcia set a Friday deadline to avoid Ryder Cup exile
Sergio Garcia has until Friday to decide whether he will play at the Mallorca Open later this month, knowing that not participating would bring one of the Ryder Cup’s most illustrious careers to a woefully anticlimactic end.
European regulations state that only members of the DP World Tour are eligible for selection, and for Garcia to keep his card, he must hit a minimum of four events, including one in his homeland.
Season criteria
The world number one has played in three so far in 2022 and is contracted to play in a trio of LIV Golf Series events in the next four weeks – starting on Friday in Bangkok – meaning Mallorca is his only chance to meet pre-season criteria. culminating in Dubai next month.
Garcia, the Ryder Cup’s all-time leading scorer, has been a member of the Tour for 24 years and has spoken of his desire to continue on his home circuit after retiring from the PGA Tour.
However, a UK court hearing in February could leave Keith Pelley, Wentworth’s chief executive, free to issue unlimited bans to rebels who have joined the Saudi-funded league. In the coming days, Garcia, 42, will have to consider his chances of being banned from playing for Europe.
Deadline for Sergio Garcia
If Garcia does not announce his name by Friday’s deadline, there is a possibility that he could still appear in Palma at the promoter’s invitation, although in the circumstances it is highly doubtful that any would appear despite his fame in Spain. The same would certainly apply at the Nedbank Golf Challenge in November.
If Garcia plays in Mallorca, he would be part of a field competing for a total purse of $2 million, compared to the $25 million up for grabs at LIV this week, with the winner himself walking away with $4. m
Garcia’s management company could not be reached for comment
But Tour insiders suspect he could be keeping his options open by committing initially.
Jon Rahm, the world number six with whom Garcia won three out of three points at Whistling Straits last year, hopes his compatriot will be available. “The only thing I regret about the whole LIV thing is that some players can’t play the Ryder Cup,” he said at the Spanish Open on Tuesday.
Two former Ryder Cup teammates, Martin Kaymer and Graeme McDowell have resigned themselves to losing playing privileges after playing just two and one Tour events, respectively, but Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, Henrik Stenson, and Sam Horsfield have made plenty of appearances, and will. awaiting verdict.
Paul Casey must claim a medical exemption if he is to remain fit for Luke Donald’s squad after a back injury kept him out for four months before also making the jump to LIV in a £30m deal. The Tour is unlikely to grant such an extension, so Casey, like McDowell and Kaymer, must realistically consider their Ryder Cup careers over.
In an ideal world,
Donald would want world No. 31 Casey and Garcia in his ranks as he tries to deny the USA their first away win in 30 years. Donald and his counterpart Zach Johnson have been together in recent days celebrating a year ago in Rome, and Donald expressed his belief that the matchup could bring the game together.
“The Ryder Cup is bigger than any individual player and it is a great place to bring everyone together,” “I think it ‘Donald said.