Breaking News: Garcia Rejoins DP World Tour To Re-Open Ryder Cup Selection Door.

10 months ago by Comments Off on Breaking News: Garcia Rejoins DP World Tour To Re-Open Ryder Cup Selection Door.

Spanish superstar Sergio Garcia has become eligible to qualify for next year’s 2025 European Ryder Cup side with confirmation he had paid outstanding fines owed to the DP World Tour (DPWT).

Garcia and others had until yesterday (November 17th) to pay the fines and with sources saying that the 10-time Ryder Cup star transferred the sum into the DPWT coffers and reported be around $1.2m.

“Sergio Garcia submitted his application to return to membership of the DP World Tour for the 2025 season ahead of the deadline on Sunday November 17”, said a Tour source.

“He has now paid his fines. He will now need to serve his suspensions before he is able to play on the DP World Tour.  He also is a member in Category One (reserved for winners of the Race to Dubai Rankings 2017 to 2024 and the four majors from 2017 to 2025) for the 2025 season.”

If so, it means the now 44-year-old Garcia and a winner 16 times on the DPWT could now qualify for Luke Donald’s European Team he’ll take to Bethpage Park later next year. If not, it now does not hold Donald back in choosing Garcia as one of his ‘wildcard’ choices.

Garcia has resigned his membership in May 2023 after an arbitration panel found in favour of the DPWT and ratified its right to fine and ban players who competed in LIV Golf events without permission.

Despite the ruling Garcia never fully shut the door on communication with the DPWT.

“I’ve had talks with the European Tour, and I still want to support the European Tour, so hopefully, we all come to an agreement, and that can be restored,” Garcia said in a recent Golf Monthy interview

“I feel like my game’s still good enough to play at least two or three Ryder Cups, so if I can keep that level going. Hopefully, everything gets sorted, and we can get to that point.”

No European-born played has teed-up in more Ryder Cup’s than Garcia, making his debut in 1999. He was a member of the 2002, 2004, 2006, 2012, 2014 and 2018 winning European teams.

As well, Garcia can boast a Ryder Cup record of having earned 28.5 points though he ruled himself out of the 2023 Ryder Cup as he had resigned from the DP World Tour but would equal a Europe record of 11 appearances should he return to inside the ropes at Bethpage Park.

However, since joining LIV, however Garcia has struggled to make it into major championship fields and teeing-up only in the Masters, a major he won in 2017 and the US Open.

Donald was asked last month at the 2025 Ryder Cup ‘One Year To Go’ celebrations in New York if he has kept in contact with Garcia: “Yeah, we chatted on the phone a couple of weeks ago. He’s certainly very interested in doing that.

“Sergio understands everything that’s involved and again, the decision has to go to him whether he’s prepared to do all that. But certainly we’ve had that discussion.

“He’d have to follow all the rules and regulations like everyone else and if he does that he will be eligible to partake in the Ryder Cup which means you have to be a member of The European Tour and born in Europe.

“If you fulfill the regulations and the rules that the DP World Tour set, then you’re eligible. There’s a bunch of LIV guys that play on LIV who are eligible now so that I can pick them at will.”

This news clearly strengthens Donald’s selection pool as Garcia’s presence would do much to tame the atomphere competing in front of New York fans, deemed to be the meanest and toughest sports fans on the planet.



Comments are closed.