‘It was sad’: Sergio Garcia reveals the chat with Luke Donald that sealed his Ryder Cup fate
Sergio Garcia was excited by the prospect of playing with Jon Rahm at the 2023 Ryder Cup – but one phone call soon ended his chances of ever appearing at the event again
Sergio Garcia wanted some closure on his Ryder Cup future before resigning from the DP World Tour.
He had a phone call with European captain Luke Donald, and his playing partner from the 2004, 2006, and 2012 matches, that confirmed the end of his Ryder Cup career.
“I talked to him two or three weeks ago,” Garcia said at LIV Golf Washington DC.
“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 obviously is a good friend – I wanted him to be sincere and tell me the truth, and he pretty much told me that I had no chance. Obviously, that made my decision 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 record points scorer of the biennial face-off between the United States and Europe ended his Ryder Cup future by resigning from the DP World Tour to avoid further fines.
The formerly-named European Tour is set to take action against Garcia as he was the only player not to pay his $100,000 fine for competing in LIV Golf’s first event at Centurion in June 2022.
Only members of the tour may compete for Team Europe at the 2023 Ryder Cup in September, but keeping his membership could lead to further fines and suspensions.
The 2017 Masters champion enjoyed a fruitful partnership with Jon Rahm in 2021 at Whistling Straits, earning three out of three points when paired together.
“I was excited about the possibility of playing with Jon again,” he added. “I know that Jon was also excited about that possibility, too. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen, at least for now.
“But it’s what it is, and you have to move on. I can’t just be sitting here crying that I’m not going to play the Ryder Cup.
“It’s what it is, and I just hope that all of them, and obviously I hope that Rory recovers because I think the team is going to need him to be 120 percent if they want to have a chance of winning.
“Hopefully, they’ll all get there with the best chance possible and see what we can do.”
Nonetheless, Donald has left the door open for LIV golfers to be on his team at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club, while US captain Zach Johnson has remained quiet on the matter.
Players such as Brooks Koepka, who took full advantage of his playing rights at the PGA Championship, largely rely on major championships to earn an automatic spot or one of the captains picks.
Thomas Pieters is still a member of the DP World Tour and could yet feature on Donald’s blue and gold side in Rome.
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Matt Chivers
Now on the wrong side of 25, Matt has been playing golf since the age of 13 and was largely inspired to take up the game by countless family members who played golf during his childhood.
Matt is a member at Royal Cinque Ports in Deal playing off a 5 handicap, just a pitching wedge away from his hometown of Dover where he went to school and grew up. He has previously been a member at Etchinghill and Walmer and Kingsdown in Kent.
Having studied history at the University of Liverpool, Matt went on to pass his NCTJ Exams in Manchester a year later to fulfil his lifelong ambition of becoming a journalist. He picked up work experience along the way at places such as the Racing Post, the Independent, Sportsbeat and the Lancashire Evening Post.
Matt joined NCG in February 2023 and is the website’s main source of tour news, features and opinion. He has reported live from events such as The Open, the Ryder Cup and The Players Championship, having also interviewed and spent time with some of the biggest names in the sport.
Consuming tour golf on what is a 24/7 basis, you can come to Matt for informed views on the game and the latest updates on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour, Ladies European Tour and LIV Golf.
What’s in Matt’s bag: Cobra LTDx LS driver, Cobra LTDx 3-wood, TaylorMade P7MC irons, Ping Glide 4.0 wedges, Odyssey putter.
