Sergio Garcia rules himself out of the Ryder Cup next year rather than ‘hurt the team’
Europe’s record points scorer Sergio Garcia rules himself out of the Ryder Cup next year rather than ‘hurt the team’ amid the uproar caused by his move to the LIV series
- Garcia will not be able to extend his run of Ryder Cup appearances from 1999
- The Spaniard has missed the deadline to play in next week’s Mallorca Open
- It means he will lose his DP World Tour membership and unable to play in Rome
Sergio Garcia has admitted he would ‘rather be out’ of the Ryder Cup amid the uproar caused by his move to the LIV series.
Europe’s record points scorer has missed the deadline to play in next week’s Mallorca Open, meaning he cannot fulfil the minimum appearances needed to retain his DP World Tour membership.
So even if LIV golfers win their legal battle with the Tour, the Spaniard will not be eligible to extend a streak of Cup appearances that dates back to 1999.
LIV series rebel Sergio Garcia has admitted he would ‘rather be out’ of the Ryder Cup
In ruling himself out of next year’s match against the US in Rome, Garcia seemed to point to the comments of Rory McIlroy, who does not want LIV golfers in captain Luke Donald’s team.
He told Sports Illustrated: ‘I obviously would love to keep being a part of it.
‘When I see so many people are against it, if the team is better without me, I’d rather be out of it.
‘There are several guys who feel strongly that way. I don’t want to be something that might hurt the team. Obviously, it’s sad for me. That’s the way they want it.’