One of the reasons the DP World Tour appeared to be a much bigger loser from the formation of LIV Golf than the PGA Tour was the number of legendary Europeans who decided to jump ship – including Sergio García.
Not only did the DP World Tour lose a number of stalwarts with the likes of Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Henrik Stenson and Sergio García joining LIV Golf, but clearly, it was set to have real consequences for the European Ryder Cup team.
While the quartet are no longer at their peak, there was a very good chance that they would make up the majority of Europe’s captains for the next decade. Indeed, Stenson was set to captain the team in Rome in 2023 before being stripped of the role.
The mooted merger between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf would surely open the door for those figures to return to the fold. Luke Donald has spoken to Garcia ahead of the 2025 Ryder Cup. But there is also the matter of who succeeds Donald after Bethpage Black.
Sergio García shares whether he wants to be European Ryder Cup captain
Garcia appears to be a perfect candidate to captain the team in 2031, with Camiral Golf and Wellness set to be awarded the right to host the event. But speaking to Golf Monthly, Garcia suggested that he has no plans to consider taking the captaincy anytime soon.
“It’s going to depend on how things end up. I think if we all come to an agreement, I can definitely see a possibility on it. Personally, I don’t want it very soon, because I still feel like I can bring more to the team as a player. But in the future, there’s something it would obviously be nice to have the chance,” he said.
The big problem Europe face after 2025
The DP World Tour will need to consider how the current crop of players feel about the prospect of those who jumped to LIV captaining the side in the future. There appeared to be some real animosity about their decisions.
Stenson certainly, has an uphill task if he hopes to captain the team. He will not be taken seriously if he gives any indication that being the captain is a career highlight given what happened in 2022.
Westwood and Poulter meanwhile, would have previously been locks to captain the side at some stage. It remains to be seen if that is still the case if a merger happens.
What the DP World Tour do have to keep in mind is the lack of obvious successors for Donald. They could go down the Keegan Bradley route and spring a massive surprise. Someone like Justin Rose meanwhile, has done more than enough to earn the role at some stage in the coming years.
But it does feel as if the olive branch is going to have to be extended to the veterans who joined LIV.
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