Sergio Garcia has reapplied for membership to the DP World Tour with an eye on being eligible for next year’s European Ryder Cup team.
Garcia, 44, resigned from the European tour last year after racking up more than $1 million in fines after joining LIV Golf in 2022. According to GOLF.com, Garcia has fully repaid those outstanding fines and will serve the necessary tournament suspensions in order to be eligible to compete on the DP World Tour in 2025.
The tour’s season begins this week in Australia, meaning Garcia’s suspension time will commence immediately.
“Sergio Garcia submitted his application to return to membership of the DP World Tour for the 2025 season ahead of the deadline on Sunday, November 17,” a DP World Tour spokesman said in a statement to Bunkered, a Scottish golf website that was first to report on Garcia’s move.
Garcia has the most individual match wins (25) and has scored the most points (28½) in Ryder Cup history. He was 19 when he made his Ryder Cup debut in 1999 and appeared in his 10th competition in 2021. Only Lee Westwood and Nick Faldo, with 11 appearances, have played in more for Europe.
The 2025 event will take place Sept. 26-28 at Bethpage Black in New York. Europe won the Cup in 2023 at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club outside of Rome.
Garcia finished third in LIV Golf’s individual points race in 2024. However, to be eligible to compete for Europe in the Ryder Cup, players must be members in good standing with the DP World Tour.
“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 re-join the tour for him to be eligible,” European captain Luke Donald said last month when asked about Garcia. “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.
“If you fulfill the regulations and the rules that the DP World Tour set, then you’re eligible. There’s a bunch of LIV guys that play on LIV who are eligible now so that I can pick them at will.”
Field Level Media contributed to this report.
Source: espn.com