After Sergio Garcia’s Ryder Cup Legacy Suffered a Blow, Team Europe Veteran Divulges His Strong Sentiments: ‘Had to Give Him a Realistic View’

Many in the golf world are on the lookout for the names of their favorite golfers as they hope to see them in the European team lineup for the prestigious Ryder Cup. And at the center of the controversy regarding the selection were the LIV Golfers including Sergio Garcia, whose move to the Saudi-backed league led him into a tough spot with regards to the selection.

But, his resignation from the DP World Tour in May 2023 coupled with the move, ruled out his prospects of being a part of the team completely. The golfer, at present, can neither get qualified automatically nor get picked by the captain. And a veteran of the squad, a while back, opened up about his opinions on Garcia and his situation regarding the Ryder Cup, leaving many curious about the same.

Luke Donald reveals Ryder Cup conversation with Sergio Garcia

Apart from getting automatically selected for the team, the skipper has the power to select six wild cards for his squad in the upcoming event. While Luke Donald has his hands full with a big list of golfers who are forcing him to keep an eye out for them, there are many who would not make it to the list including Garcia, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood. Donald, in a podcast called Beyond the Clubhouse revealed the “realistic” conversation he had with the LIV Defector in May.

The 45-year-old captain disclosed the details of a phone call he had with the golfer as he mentioned how Garcia wanted some assurances which he couldn’t give him at the time. Luke went ahead to reiterate what he told the LIV Golfer as he said, “At no point would I ever tell you that you don’t have a chance, Sergio,” while talking about his selection to the cup. The 43-year-old Spanish golfer misunderstood his words and thought that Donald told him he had no chance of making the squad leading to his resignation.

Thus, when the Spaniard resigned from his membership, he came to be completely ruled out of the potential names that could be picked. “I had to give him a realistic view of where things were five months out, but I told him a lot could change,” continued the captain while putting forth his side of the story. But even so, Donald respects the decision that Sergio made as he did what he thought was best for himself thereby bringing to a close a legacy he had built for himself.

The Spanish golfer, who is the current leading point scorer in Ryder Cup history with 25.5 points, defected to LIV Golf in 2022 with Henrik Stenson. Luke Donald was then made captain after Stenson was stripped of his role as skipper. And the responsibility for picking the squad came to rest on the Englishman’s shoulders.

The chances of making the Ryder Cup team

The players aiming for the automatic selection will see their results after the end of the two remaining FedEx Cup events, the BMW Championship and the TOUR Championship, along with the three events on the DP World Tour including the ISPS Handa World Invitational, The D+D Real Czech Masters, and the Omega European Masters. Meanwhile, many golfers are also looking at impressing the captain through their performances in the upcoming events.

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Golfers such as Yannik Paul, Adrian Meronk, Victor Perez, Adrian Otaegui, Rasmus Hojgaard, and Shane Lowry are some of the many aiming for the skipper’s list as they hope for a spot on the team. Who else do you think can get selected as the wild cards? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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