Usually, Ryder Cup vice-captains are players at least at the latter stages of their careers at the very highest level and looking at potentially taking on the top job in the future.
Keegan Bradley‘s backroom team for the Ryder Cup includes Webb Simpson and Brandt Snedeker. It would be no surprise to see either man named captain in the future, with the latter set to lead next year’s Presidents Cup side.
Meanwhile, Francesco Molinari will, once again, be a vice-captain to Luke Donald. The Italian is surely a contender to take charge of the European side at Adare Manor in 2027.
But taking on the vice-captaincy is not always a sign that a player’s career is winding down.
The player who won his only major title seven years after being a vice-captain at the Ryder Cup
Of course, there has been plenty of talk surrounding Alex Noren, who was recently named as one of Donald’s vice-captains for New York. The Swede has won twice in the last month on the DP World Tour, and some think Donald would pick Noren to play if he still could.
But back in 2010, it was another world-class player who ended up being a vice-captain – seven years before he went on to win his only major title.
To say that it felt like a long time coming when Sergio García won The Masters in 2017 would be an understatement. The Spaniard is unquestionably one of the most talented players of his generation.
Garcia is now the all-time leading points scorer in the Ryder Cup, having won 28.5 points in 45 matches. His most recent appearance in the event came at Whistling Straits in 2021.
That week marked his fifth appearance in a row as a player; a remarkable turnaround given where he found himself just over a decade earlier.
Garcia decided to take a two-month break from the sport in August 2010 after falling to 50th in the world rankings. He had not won on either the PGA Tour or the European Tour since 2008, while he registered just one top 10 stateside in 2010.
He was prepared to return early from his break if handed a pick from Colin Montgomerie for Celtic Manor. But fearing he was set to be overlooked by the Scot, Garcia reached out to the European captain to make it clear that he wanted to be involved in any way possible.
“He said, ‘I’d like to help out, please’,” Montgomerie said, as reported by ESPN. ”’I’d like to be part of the team. I’d like to be part of this somehow, if I’m not able to be on the team and not able to be selected by you.'”
It proved to be a successful week for the home team, with Europe winning 14.5-13.5 after a dramatic finish on an October Monday in Wales.
Sergio García was able to find his way back to the top after taking a break in 2010
The break definitely appeared to do Garcia some good. He won twice in Europe in 2011, while he also clinched the Wyndham Championship in August the following year.
He did enough to qualify automatically for the 2012 Ryder Cup, where he went on to win two points from four matches. He won a crucial point alongside Donald on Saturday afternoon at Medinah before beating Jim Furyk on Sunday.
And he remained a stalwart of the side up until his decision to join LIV Golf in 2022. Garcia has delivered at least two points at all but one of his 10 Ryder Cup appearances.
Garcia did come in for criticism for how he handled being overlooked for Bethpage. Donald confirmed that his form on LIV was not good enough for the 45-year-old to receive a pick. He reacted to the news by withdrawing from the Irish Open.
This year will mark the first time since 1995 that Europe have travelled to the States for the Ryder Cup without Garcia in their ranks.
And given that his reaction to his omission has not gone down well, there is perhaps now a question mark over whether he will feature in the event again, or whether 2010 will remain his one opportunity to be involved in the leadership of the European team.
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