LIV Golf Star Takes Impulsive Step After Jon Rahm & Co Are Picked Over Him for Ryder Cup Squad

Sergio Garcia has always worn the Ryder Cup on his sleeve. At 45, with a record 28.5 points across ten appearances, the Spaniard still hoped to carve out one more chapter in blue and gold. But when Luke Donald‘s final European team was unveiled, led by Jon Rahm and a mix of rising stars, Garcia was left on the outside. The omission has now hit him hard, which was made clear by his recent move.

Garcia, speaking exclusively to GolfMagic, has confirmed his withdrawal from the Irish Open at The K Club. His reason was pretty straightforward, saying he wasn’t mentally ready to compete. “I felt like I was so looking forward to being a part of the team, and so I felt like mentally, you know, mentally it was kind of tough.”

The decision reads like an impulsive reaction, but also a window into how much the Ryder Cup still defines him. Since joining LIV Golf in 2022, Sergio Garcia has fought to keep that door open. He faced heavy sanctions from the DP World Tour — over 1 million euros in fines and multiple suspensions after LIV events clashed with the Tour’s schedule. In May 2023, after an arbitration ruling confirmed the Tour’s right to punish defectors, Garcia resigned his membership altogether.

This made him ineligible to qualify for the Ryder Cup. So, to avoid that, he reapplied with DPWT later, cleared his outstanding penalties, and even kept communication lines open with Donald in hopes of making one last Ryder Cup team. “Yeah, we chatted on the phone a couple of weeks ago. He’s certainly very interested in doing that. 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,” Luke Donlad had said at the time.

Yet Sergio Garcia’s play never matched the ambition. To accumulate good points for the Ryder Cup, the Spaniard had to give his best in the only avenues available to him — the Majors. But he lacked there. He missed the cut at Augusta, failed to qualify in the US Open, and performed below average at the PGA Championship (T67) and The Open (T34). However, his performance on the LIV events was comparatively better. He played the full schedule and even won the LIV Golf Hong Kong individual title. “I had a good conversation with [Captain Luke Donald] last week, and we both know what we want,” Garcia said during LIV Andalucía, where he secured a T10.

Unfortunately, all his efforts went to vain as none of the LIV points were added to the Ryder Cup European points list. Garcia currently stands at 140 with 48.50 points. To put it into perspective, Rory McIlroy, who is at the top, has a massive 3489.21 points! Keeping this in mind, earlier this year, Garcia had commented on how, with his current form, even if Luke Donald chooses him, he will not accept it.

But his statements now show that he was still hopeful. “I didn’t want to go there [Irish Open] and not be fully engaged in the tournament and stuff, so I just decided to take a little bit of time off and spend it with the family,” he said, explaining his decision to pull out of the tournament.

From the way Garcia is speaking, it’s clear he genuinely believed he had a shot at being picked. And maybe he wasn’t wrong to think so. LIV Golf alone can’t be the reason for his exclusion— after all, Jon Rahm, who also wanted fellow Spaniard to not just be a part of the team but also lead as the captain, is very much part of the team. Could it be performance then? But even that doesn’t fully hold up. Look at the US side: players have been selected this year despite having pretty average seasons, purely because of their Ryder Cup experience (Collin Morikawa). By that logic, Sergio Garcia’s name should have been one of the first on the list. His Ryder Cup record isn’t just good — it’s untouchable.

Since debuting in 1999 at just 19 years old — the youngest ever to play the Ryder Cup — he was Europe’s heartbeat. In his 10 Ryder Cup appearances for Europe, Garcia has been part of 6 winning teams. His record is staggering: 25 wins, 13 losses, and 7 halves. His Ryder Cup points are the most in the event’s history, eclipsing Nick Faldo‘s mark. He had some iconic performances at the biennial event, like the slow 15-footer at Oakland Hills in 2004, to a gritty singles win over Jim Furyk at Medinah in 2012. Even in 2021, at Whistling Straits, long past his teenage prodigy days, he added three more wins to cement his tally.

Still, he wasn’t Luke Donald’s choice. And, it seems like the European captain had this decision made already, like a month ago.

Donald was skeptical about Sergio Garcia from the beginning

Luke Donald had already made it clear that sentiment alone wouldn’t have been able to carry Sergio Garcia back into the Ryder Cup. Speaking to GolfMagic ahead of the Betfred British Masters at The Belfry — which was the final stop for automatic qualification — Donald revealed he had spoken to Garcia several times in recent months.

Donald acknowledged Garcia’s legendary Ryder Cup record, calling it a factor, but stressed that recent form mattered just as much. “It’s improved a little bit, but…his form would need to show a little bit more improvement, especially this following week.” As expected, Garcia failed to impress Donald with his performance, compelling the captain to go for others as his picks. Luke Donald chose Shane Lowry, Jon Rahm, Sepp Straka, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Aberg, and Matt Fitzpatrick as his choices.

Do you think Captain Luke Donald should have given Sergio Garcia a chance? Let us know in the comments below.