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‘You Can’t Blame Them’: After Unfortunate Sergio Garcia News, Legends of LIV Golf Get Defended by Former Caddie

Published 05/19/2023, 9:52 AM EDT

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via Reuters

It is no secret that Sergio Garcia is a gem in the golf world! The 16-time European Tour winner has never failed to amaze fans with his mind-blowing performances on the field. But ever since he jumped ship last summer, things perhaps haven’t been the same for the 43-year-old.

Back-to-back controversies have plagued the LIV golfer since his move to the new series. The latest came earlier this month with a six-figure fine from the DP World Tour for violating their conflicting tournament regulations. But Garcia isn’t alone in this fight! He has the support of many colleagues and fans, and now that of his former caddie too!

Former caddie defends Sergio Garcia

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El Nino, a.k.a. Sergio Garcia, and 16 other DP World players including Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, and Patrick Reed, played at LIV Golf’s last two tournaments without the DP World Tour’s consent. Since them competing in these events were unauthorized, the DP World Tour claimed them to be “serious breaches of the Tour’s Conflicting Tournament Regulation.” They went on to penalize these players with a hefty £100,000 ($126,000) fine.

via Reuters

However, only 16 out of the 17 golfers paid their dues, leaving Sergio Garcia. He received an ultimatum from the DP World Tour for not paying his fine within the given 30-day time frame. But what came next was quite unexpected by the entire golf community. The Spaniard, along with fellow players Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, and Henrick Stenson, decided to leave their positions on the DP World Tour. Their decision came as a huge shock, for this meant that they could now never captain the Ryder Cup!

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His former caddie, Billy Foster, expressed his ultimate grief at the thought of these golf pros never captaining the international side. He thought this incident was “incredibly sad”. In addition to his anguish, he also showed support for the Spanish golfer.

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Foster went on to justify how Garcia’s decision to leave the DP World Tour wasn’t immediately wrong. He revealed how he felt that these pro golfers have a lot to offer the European Tour. But now that these men are in their late 40s, a more leisurely life with “more money and less tournaments” makes more sense to them. The former caddie adds, “You can’t blame them, but they’ve still got a lot to give for the European Tour.”

What will be Garcia’s fate?

Foster kept his statements fair and square by adding, “You can understand both opinions; I am not saying they should or they shouldn’t.” He revealed that he felt awful but understood the other party’s opinion too. As for now, in the days that follow, the Spaniard will have to make a decision about paying his dues or facing further backlash from the Tour. And perhaps while he is sidelined from the major championship this week, it is something he will ponder on. His fate, of course, lies in his own hands!

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What do you think Garcia will decide? And will we see this saga between him and the European Tour continue? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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Written by:

Saher Rizvi

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One take at a time

Saher Rizvi is a promising golf writer at EssentiallySports. She is a young writer who is passionate about the sport. She has been an ardent follower of Brooks Koepka throughout his rollercoaster of a journey, and his indelible performance at the Masters inspired and cemented within her the fact that any success is incomplete without a string of failures.
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Edited by:

Sheldon Pereira

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