LIV Golf star details plan with Luke Donald as assistant captain for Ryder Cup
Luke Donald shared today that long-time star Sergio Garcia reportedly wants to play in the 2025 Ryder Cup. He is thus going to look at regaining his DP World Tour membership to be eligible. It's a membership he resigned years ago when he decided to play on LIV Golf. That decision rendered him virtually ineligible for the 2023 international tournament, but the leading scorer in European history wants back in.
Donald, who is currently the European captain, said in a press conference that he and Garcia have talked about him coming back. Donald noted the possibility of serving as a vice-captain, though he said he wasn't exactly sure how Garcia felt.
According to golf reporter Gabby Herzig, the captain said:
"He thinks he can play. He wants to play. I don't think he has talked to me about being an assistant captain, but again, he would have to rejoin the tour for him to be eligible."
Rejoining the DP World Tour might be difficult given how things ended and the fact that the merger between the PIF and PGA Tour has still not come through. Garcia didn't leave on the best of terms, and his path back is not a simple one.
However, there are avenues. Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton have been on a crusade lately to play in enough DP events to qualify for the Ryder Cup, and they've both been more successful than anticipated. Garcia would also face an uphill battle, but not an impossible one.
Luke Donald shares that he and Sergio Garcia are in talks over Ryder Cup return
While Luke Donald is not the primary decision-maker for the Ryder Cup, he is the current captain. As such, Sergio Garcia has taken to discussing with him how the Spaniard can work his way back into the tournament.
Donald said via the Independent that he is considering rejoining the DP World Tour, but that Garcia would "have to follow all the rules and regulations like everyone else." If Garcia does that, the golfer would be eligible to play in the Ryder Cup.
Garcia has played with Donald plenty of times in the Ryder Cup and is the top scorer in the tournament's history for Europe. Per Donald, the two have "chatted on the phone" about a return.
Donald added:
“He’s certainly very interested in doing that. He understands everything that’s involved and again, the decision has to go to him whether he’s prepared to do all that. But certainly we’ve had that discussion.”
On the other hand, Keegan Bradley made clear today that he plans to take the 12 best golfers regardless of the tour they play for. This came after the PGA of America confirmed that LIV players weren't ineligible.