Europe Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald revealed on Tuesday he has been in talks with LIV golf defector Sergio Garcia about making a attainable return to the group for subsequent yr’s conflict with the USA.
Talking at an occasion in New York to mark the countdown to subsequent yr’s Europe-USA Ryder Cup showdown at Bethpage, Donald confirmed he had spoken to Garcia about his availability.
Garcia, the all-time main Ryder Cup scorer with 28.5 factors in 10 appearances, missed final yr’s match in Rome after opting to affix the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit.
Nevertheless Donald stated on Tuesday that Garcia was now contemplating making use of to rejoin the DP World Tour in a push to be eligible for choice.
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“Clearly he resigned his membership a pair years in the past,” Donald stated of Garcia.
“However we’ve got had some chats. He’s contemplating rejoining. He’d need to observe all the foundations and rules like everybody else, and if he does that, once more, he will probably be eligible to partake within the Ryder Cup.
“We chatted on telephone a pair weeks in the past. He’s definitely very curious about doing that. He understands every part that’s concerned, and once more, the choice has to go to him, whether or not he’s ready to do all that.
“However definitely, we’ve had that dialogue, sure.”
Donald stated present rules meant different LIV gamers may be accessible as captain’s picks.
“The DP World Tour’s insurance policies have been very constant. There’s been a variety of readability round that,” Donald stated.
“It’s actually the identical because it was in Rome. It’s important to be a Member of The European Tour and born in Europe. In the event you fulfil the rules and the foundations that the DP World Tour set, then you definately’re eligible. There’s a bunch of LIV guys that play on LIV that they’re eligible now; so I can choose them at will.”
US officers have already given the inexperienced mild for LIV gamers to play on the American group, as they did in 2023 when Brooks Koepka was given a captain’s choose to affix the group.
In line with the Telegraph UK, It’s understood that Garcia would want to pay fines value in extra of effectively previous the US$2 million (AU$2.9 million) to make himself eligible for subsequent yr’s biennial tussle.
The 44-year-old is the one LIV insurgent that hasn’t paid the DP World Tour’s preliminary AU$194,000 sanction for leaping ship in 2022. Having resigned his membership final yr, he would want to use to get well his card.
United States captain Keegan Bradley stated Tuesday he deliberate to pick out “the 12 greatest gamers”.
“So if we really feel like there’s a couple of guys there, one man, two guys, no matter it’s, then we’re going to try this,” Bradley stated.
“However we’re too far out to determine how that is all going to play out. However we’re positively going to take the 12 greatest gamers nevertheless that shakes out.”
The 2025 Ryder Cup takes place at Bethpage Black in New York from September 26-28. Defending champions Europe are chasing their first victory within the match on US soil for the reason that well-known “Miracle at Medinah” in 2012.