Luke Donald’s decision to not pick Sergio García for the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black seemed to come as a surprise to no one – apart from the Spaniard himself.
Sergio García is the all-time leading points scorer in the Ryder Cup. He also produced an outstanding display alongside Jon Rahm at Whistling Straits four years ago when the number of impressive performers on Padraig Harrington‘s team could easily be counted on one hand with fingers to spare.
Garcia took up membership with the DP World Tour again in the hope of returning to the team for 2025. Unfortunately, his form this season has hardly given Luke Donald food for thought.
The 45-year-old finished no higher than tied for 34th in the majors. Although he did win on LIV Golf in Hong Kong, his performances in the second-half of the season were nothing to write home about.
Nevertheless, he decided to withdraw from the Irish Open this week following Donald’s decision to overlook him. Garcia has come in for criticism for not teeing it up at The K Club.
How Robert MacIntyre reacted to Sergio Garcia’s rant after being banned from the 2022 Scottish Open
It definitely appears that the animosity between those who joined LIV and those who stayed put has cooled as the years have gone on. But it seems that Donald has made a smart call not including Garcia in his side.
Garcia initially seemed to burn his bridges with many involved with the DP World Tour with his decision to jump to LIV in 2022.
In fact, he launched into a remarkable outburst in the locker room at the BMW International Open after learning that he had received a £100,000 fine and been banned from playing in the Scottish Open.
According to The Telegraph at the time, Garcia used some colourful language to criticise the tour and warn all of the players who decided to stay. And one of the players who was reportedly left ‘disgusted’ with his actions was Robert MacIntyre.
Although the Telegraph noted that MacIntyre and his team were not prepared to comment, the Scot went on to post a tweet later that same week which certainly appeared to be aimed at the 2017 Masters champion.
Why Luke Donald did not pick Sergio García for the 2025 Ryder Cup
As mentioned, the dynamic between players on the DP World Tour and LIV Golf appears to be quite different now. And you would imagine that MacIntyre would be the first player to welcome Garcia back into the team if he was playing well enough to earn a place in Donald’s side.
Incredibly, you would have to go back to 1995 – before MacIntyre was even born – for the last Ryder Cup on American soil which did not feature Sergio García. Whatever you think of him, there is no question at all that he is an icon.
But Donald noted Garcia simply was not playing well enough to make a team that appears to be so settled now.
Receive exclusive golf news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
