There appears to be light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to golf coming back together, with reports this weekend claiming that the PGA Tour is on the brink of merging with LIV Golf.
It would be a big boost for the sport generally, if the tours came back together. LIV Golf events are set to be played under the PGA Tour banner, with PIF investing £1 billion in what has been its rival for the last three years.
Despite the news, there are plenty of questions about how the golfing world will look which will need answering – including how the merger impacts the Ryder Cup, with players currently earning no qualification points for LIV Golf events.
Not only will Luke Donald welcome seeing Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton earn their way onto the team once again, but the merger may also have a huge impact on who captains the European team in the next decade.
Henrik Stenson was stripped of the captaincy following his move to LIV in 2022. Meanwhile, the likes of Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter appeared to have seen their Ryder Cup playing careers come to an end. But one player who already seemed to be in a much more uncertain situation is Sergio García.
Sergio Garcia’s Ryder Cup may not be over after all
Garcia is Europe’s all-time leading points scorer, with the 44-year-old proving to be one of the only positives from the humbling defeat at Whistling Straits in 2021. He also had a very good year on LIV.
Donald has spoken to Garcia about regaining his DP World Tour membership ahead of the 2025 Ryder Cup. So there appears to be a chance that he could be in the team for Bethpage Black in less than a year.
But there was also some very interesting news this week concerning a future Ryder Cup venue. Camiral Golf and Wellness is set to be named the host of the 2031 Ryder Cup. And perhaps the timing could not be better for Garcia.
Timing could be perfect
The previous Ryder Cup in Spain saw Seve Ballesteros led Europe to victory at Valderrama in 1997. So it would be fitting if Garcia was the man to lead the Europeans on home soil 34 years later.
Garcia does divide opinion, but it would be a shame if none of he, Westwood or Poulter got the chance to captain a European side, given their contributions to the event and the DP World Tour as a whole. The trio have featured in 30 Ryder Cups between them.
Europe have got a few tough decisions to make for Adare Manor and beyond if the LIV players do not get to captain the side. It is hard to see Donald staying on for 2027, and so many of his peers are now on LIV. However, news of the merger hints that that may not be an issue for too much longer.
There is clearly plenty of work to be done before the game’s divide is rectified, but it does appear that the puzzle pieces may be starting to fall into place for Garcia to be the standout candidate to captain Europe in Spain in 2031.
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