After successful one other LIV Golf title in Hong Kong, Sergio Garcia obtained a congratulatory textual content from certainly one of his long-time associates.
It was from Luke Donald, who additionally occurs to be this yr’s Ryder Cup captain.
“He advised me that it was nice to see one other European win on the market,” Garcia stated on a Tuesday cellphone name with media.
“We’ve been speaking for some time now, and we get pleasure from speaking to one another and seeing what’s occurring.”
Again in October, Donald confirmed that Garcia was not eligible for the 2025 Ryder Cup staff. However the European captain stated that he and Garcia had mentioned find out how to resolve that. Due to his affiliation with LIV Golf, the DP World Tour levied fines in opposition to the Spaniard, who, in flip, didn’t pay them. To play on the European Ryder Cup staff, you should be a European citizen and be a DP World Tour member in good standing.
Garcia paid off these fines as of January. He’s now Ryder Cup eligible.
“We’re good associates, we’ve been in Ryder Cups collectively,” Garcia stated of Donald.
“He is aware of what I can deliver to the staff.”
What Garcia brings to the desk is the best Ryder Cup document in historical past. He has received 28.5 factors complete, 5 greater than Billy Casper, the winningest American within the competitors’s historical past. Garcia additionally has extra expertise than all however two Europeans ever, enjoying in 45 matches throughout 10 Ryder Cups. Solely Nick Faldo and Lee Westwood have performed in additional.
Ought to Garcia make it onto this yr’s staff at Bethpage Black, it will mark his eleventh begin in a Ryder Cup, thus matching Faldo’s and Westwood’s document. Solely Phil Mickelson has performed in additional with 12.
However what does Garcia should do to don the blue and gold on Lengthy Island this fall?
“On the finish of the day, it’s nearly enjoying good golf and being constant all year long,” Garcia stated.
“I’m on his radar, and that’s one thing nice to know. The one factor I can do is preserve doing what I’m doing, and preserve giving me excuses, in case you might name it that manner, to have an opportunity of selecting me hopefully when it comes right down to the wire.
“So, we’ll see, we’ll see what occurs.”
First, Garcia should flip in an excellent exhibiting at Augusta Nationwide, the place useful Ryder Cup factors can be found. 5 thousand factors are up for grabs at The Masters this yr, with 835 factors going to the winner (this similar method applies to all 4 majors for European gamers). Enjoying properly is a tall activity, nevertheless. Garcia has missed 5 of his final six cuts at Augusta, courting again to his win in 2017. However the Spaniard’s kind over the previous 9 months has vastly improved. DataGolf lists him because the twenty seventh greatest participant on the planet as of proper now.
“It’s the drive to maintain attempting to enhance, to attempt to preserve getting higher. I feel that’s necessary. We at all times work exhausting on our video games, however I feel I’m working exhausting and dealing higher at it. In order that’s crucial when it comes right down to your sport,” Garcia stated when requested why he’s enjoying so properly at 45 years outdated.
“And bodily, I’ve been blessed with a physique that, you realize, it won’t be the strongest on the planet, but it surely holds on very properly. I haven’t needed to have many breaks in my profession due to accidents. So I feel that that retains your momentum going. If you happen to’re enjoying properly, swiftly you get injured and also you, you’ll be able to’t play for like 4 or 5 months, it sort of, it’s, it’s exhausting to maintain going due to accidents. Then your physique doesn’t transfer the identical manner and issues like that.
“So I’ve been very fortunate and really blessed with that, and I feel that’s why I’m nonetheless acting at my age.”
He might want to proceed to carry out properly past Augusta if he desires to make it to Bethpage.
The most important concern Garcia faces proper now’s that he’s solely eligible for the PGA Championship moreover the Masters. The PGA of America awarded Garcia a particular invitation to compete at Quail Hole this yr, due to his robust exhibiting on LIV Golf and different world occasions. However a missed three-footer this previous week in Macau saved him from receiving an invitation to Royal Portrush for The Open, what Garcia referred to as his “favourite main.”
He has different alternatives to qualify for The Open and U.S. Open, however it is going to be no simple activity. Nonetheless, Garcia has the pedigree, expertise, and expertise to just do that, and if he could make it into these fields, who is aware of what number of Ryder Cup factors he can earn. And if he does make it on the European staff, the People ought to be careful, as a result of no person has a greater document than Garcia.
Jack Milko is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Enjoying By way of. Comply with him on X @jack_milko.
