When Sergio Garcia eventually hangs up his clubs, he will go down in Ryder Cup folklore as the most successful player to ever compete in the competition.
Unless anything drastic happens moving forward, Garcia‘s total of 28.5 Ryder Cup points is highly unlikely to be beaten anytime soon.
However, the fact that he will not be part of Luke Donald‘s European team to take on the United States at Bethpage Black is no surprise to anyone.
The Spaniard was actually in fine form on LIV Golf earlier this season, with three top-six finishes in his first five events including a win in Hong Kong.
Garcia was assured by Donald that his Ryder Cup decision would be made purely on golfing terms, rather than which tour players are competing on.
And the Englishman proved that by selecting Jon Rahm on Monday as one of his six captain’s picks.
Back in June, Garcia said he will play as many DP World Tour events as possible in order to accumulate enough points to make the Ryder cup team.
His form over the past few months really let him down in the end, though.
Sergio Garcia receives backlash after his decision following Ryder Cup announcement
Garcia shared his disappointment after missing out on the Ryder Cup team, when speaking with Golf Magic.
The Spaniard said: “The call with Luke was fine but not the call I wanted, obviously… I felt like I was so looking forward to being a part of that team, and so I felt like mentally, you know, mentally it was kind of tough…. “I didn’t want to go there and not be fully engaged in the tournament and stuff, so I just decided to take a little bit of time off and spend it with the family and do a couple of things, some things outside of golf and just kind of reboot a little bit, recharge the batteries.”
And numerous golf fans around the world criticised Garcia for his entitled view.
One shared his dismay at Garcia’s comments: “I’d be amazed if he was even considered ahead of Hall, Wallace, Rai, Noren and Penge.“ While another made a great point, saying: “He wasn’t chosen 2 years ago. Not sure what he thought would lead to a selection. He’s got a good record: 25 wins 13 losses 7 ties“ No longer capable? Poor, unlikeable teammate? Donald had warned Garcia weeks earlier at the British Masters that his spot was far from guaranteed.“
This sentiment was supported by lots of others, with comments stating: “The team is not missing him,“ and, “As a vice captain?? Surely he’s intelligent enough to know he had zero chance of making it as a player, he’s been mediocre on LIV. I can’t believe he would think he had any chance to compete in it.“
Others were equally passionate in their responses.
“The sad fact is LIV has caught up with Sergio, there has to be consequences. I see G Mac looking to have participation of some type in 2027 in Adare, hopefully that won’t happen.“
“Someone let Serg know he probably wasn’t on their radar,“ and, “Surprised me that he got a rejection call from Luke, should be nowhere close to a pick.“
And the comments kept coming. “What does one have to do with the other? So basically he is withdrawing ’cause he is having a little hissy fit,“ one fan said.
While two more fans added their feeling into the mix: “He’s digging himself a deeper hole to climb out of to be a assistant captain at any point…his playing career is clearly over.“
“Missing? The only person talking about his chances was himself. More baseless petulance from someone who LIV’d himself into irrelevance.“
Garcia’s comments were ill-judged in the extreme, and he came across really poorly by airing his somewhat self-important views.
As mentioned earlier, Garcia will always be synonymous with the Ryder Cup due to his exceptional performances throughout the years in the competition.
However, his latest tantrum may well tar his reputation amongst golf fans, and that’s really sad.
Sergio Garcia’s Ryder Cup record
Garcia has a well-earned reputation as a fearsome match-play competitor.
With a Ryder Cup record like his, it’s little wonder why.
| Results | Garcia’s totals |
| Matches played | 45 |
| Wins | 25 |
| Defeats | 13 |
| Halves | 7 |
| Total points | 28.5* |
* Ryder Cup record
Garcia is clearly disappointed that he missed out on the 2025 Ryder Cup team, but in the cold light of day he will surely realise that he didn’t deserve a captain’s pick one little bit.
The Spaniard now has to use that disappointment as fuel to work even harder on his game and contend for a spot at the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor in Ireland, by which time he will be 47.
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