Sergio wants back in but do Europe need him?

Luke Donald has confirmed that record points scorer in the Ryder Cup, Sergio Garcia is considering rejoining the DP World Tour to be eligible for next year’s contest in Bethpage Black.

Garcia resigned his membership in May 2023 after it was revealed he was the only one of seventeen players initially sanctioned for playing in LIV Golf events without permission. He did not pay his £100,000 fine.

Last month Donald hailed Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton’s decision to appeal their sanctions which allowed them to compete in the mandatory four DP World Tour events needed to be eligible for the 2025 Ryder Cup as a little win.

Rahm and Hatton’s potential inclusion on next year’s team seems to have been unanimously accepted by Europe’s big name players but it remains to be seen how murky the waters still remain after Garcia’s departure from European golf.

Rahm was a huge advocate of having his fellow Spaniard included for last year’s edition but that didn’t happen.

Speaking at an event in New York alongside US captain Keegan Bradley to mark less than a year to go to the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, Donald said: “He (Garcia) resigned his membership a couple of years ago but we have had some chats.

“He’s considering rejoining; he’d have to follow all the rules and regulations like everyone else and if he does that he will be eligible to partake in the Ryder Cup.”

Garcia hasn’t played in a Ryder Cup since the 2021 hammering at the hands of Steve Stricker’s USA in Whistling Straits.

A year later LIV Golf began with Garcia and fellow European Ryder Cup stalwarts, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Henrik Stenson and Paul Casey all joining the Saudi backed tour. It was billed as a changing of the guard that needed to happen to allow younger players to step up and in Nicolai Hojgaard, Sepp Straka, Ludvig Aberg and Robert MacIntyre there was certainly a replenishing of talent last year.

Garcia, now 44, has played just eight Official World Golf Ranking events since 2022 with one top-10 in that time although he was T12 at the US Open this year.