BEDMINSTER, N.J. — Henrik Stenson was slated to be the European Ryder Cup captain for the upcoming matches in Italy later this year. Then he joined LIV Golf last summer and saw his captaincy removed.
Sergio Garcia has been a stalwart for the Euros since his debut in the biennial bash back in 1999. His current lackluster form may not have led the all-time points leader – 28 ½ with a 25-13-7 record – to one of the 12 spots on the roster, but the 43-year-old Spaniard would be a shoe-in as a vice captain at the very least. Then he resigned his DP World Tour membership, removing himself from consideration.
Because of their own decisions, neither player will be present at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club near Rome, Sept. 29-Oct. 1, to help the Europeans reclaim the cup. That said, they’re both hopeful to don the blue and yellow in future matches.
“Yes, I would love to, obviously. It is disappointing to see that I’m not going to be able to be part of the Ryder Cup this year and the DP World Tour for the same matter,” said Garcia ahead of this week’s LIV Golf event at Trump National Bedminster. “But it is what it is. At the end of the day, I’m happy where I am, and that doesn’t change.
“But at the end of the day, hopefully there will be a way back and something that we can work on, and we’ll see what happens in the future.”
“I hope. I hope maybe we can see a different future down the line somewhere, whether that involves me or some of the other guys,” added Stenson. “It’s kind of a lot of speculation, and I’ll just wait and see what happens. If things change in the future, which I hope they will, we’ll see if there’s a time and a place for some of us to be involved going forward.”
World No. 3 Jon Rahm has been adamant about wanting his friend Garcia on the squad, and the fellow countrymen have spoken about the event often over the last year.
“Yeah, we’ve talked a lot about it, him and I. Everyone knows how much I love the Ryder Cup and the bonds that we’ve been able to build and are created in those Ryder Cups. Obviously, Jon is no different. We had a great time. We obviously are good friends, and our friendship kind of got even stronger after the last Ryder Cup,” explained Garcia. “Yeah, it is going to be a shame. I will miss him, too.”
Stenson, on the other hand, hasn’t spoken about the matches too much with other players, noting how everyone understands the situation as the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund continue to iron out details regarding the framework agreement to create a new golf entity that hopes to unite the divided professional game. Despite his ousting as captain, the 47-year-old Swede – who boasts a 10-7-2 record in five appearances – still plans to watch the action next month.
“Ryder Cup has been a big part of my career. I’ve got some of my greatest golfing memories from the Ryder Cup, and a lot of my friendships were built from the Ryder Cup. Yeah, I’ll follow. I’m a golf fan, as well, and I’ll follow the scores,” said Stenson. “I don’t know, it’s not like I’ve decided that I got my lounge chair and the popcorn bucket and that I’m going to sit there every hour of it, but of course I’ll check in. I know what the bags are going to look like.”
“If you’ve been part of something and then you’re not part of it, there’s certain aspects you’re going to miss,” he said, “but I’ll follow and obviously support from a distance.”
