Sergio Garcia is convinced he will be a member of the DP World Tour again soon.
The former Masters champion made this statement when discussing his avenues to the majors on the Rick Shiels Golf Show which could be opened if he was eligible to play in DP World Tour events.
Garcia no longer plays in Europe or on the PGA Tour and his world ranking has plummeted by playing in non-ranked LIV Golf events since the rebel league’s inception in 2022.
He maintains it was never his intention to hand in his DP World Tour card but, like a handful of his European LIV colleagues, Garcia faced fines that would’ve continued building if he kept playing in conflicting LIV events while keeping his European membership.
“I am going to be a member again of the European Tour next year,” he said. “So I will play my four events or something like that, so if I do well in those, then maybe I can get myself in (the majors) somehow, so there’s a couple of ways.
“I always said, when I joined LIV, I wanted to keep still being a member of the European Tour and play my minimum, my four events and keep my card. Obviously, they didn’t make it too easy to be able to do that.”
While speaking to Shiels, Garcia declared his intention to always play in Final Open Qualifying as he did in 2023. He narrowly missed out on qualifying for the 151st championship at Hoylake when playing the 36-hole event at West Lancashire.
He found more joy in America last season when he advanced through the preliminary event in Texas to play in his 24th consecutive US Open at Los Angeles Country Club.
Sergio Garcia: Ryder Cup could still be on the cards
While jeopardising his participation in major championships, Garcia also put his Ryder Cup future in doubt by joining LIV. His absence on the PGA and DP World Tours shut off his ability to earn points to ascend the European Ryder Cup points list
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You must also be a member of the DP World Tour to play for Team Europe, an institution Garcia became ingrained in with 10 appearances over which he became the Ryder Cup’s record points scorer.
The 44-year-old didn’t play for Europe at the 2023 Ryder Cup under the captaincy of Luke Donald, only the second Ryder Cup he has missed since 1999.
With the next edition arriving at Bethpage in 2025, there is time for Garcia to show intent by returning to the DP World Tour and he believes his quality and experience can help the blue and gold team beat the USA on away soil for the first time since 2012.
“I want to give myself the best possibility for it (being in the Ryder Cup team). Then yes, only playing a handful of events, it’s not easy to make it unless you do super, super well,” he added.
“But I guess at the end of the day, if I’m eligible, if they see I’m making the effort, if I do well in LIV and I’m consistent, hopefully, I can be considered, not only because of my game but because of what I can bring to the team and my history in the event.
“To me, the Ryder Cup, every single shot is like the back nine of a major with a chance of winning.
“That’s what it is because you know every single point is so important, so there’s that much hype, there’s that much excitement and pressure, and the energy from the crowds and everything, you don’t feel that all year long.”
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