Sergio Garcia has paid his DP World Tour fines and rejoined the European Tour to give himself a chance at making his 11th Ryder Cup appearance and first since 2021 at Bethpage Black next year.
I think Sergio Garcia is a no-brainer pick for New York and am delighted that he has decided to rejoin the DP World Tour.
It's a sign that tensions in the golf world are truly thawing and Sergio will be a welcome addition in Dubai, at Wentworth, in the Spanish Open and wherever else he decides to play next year.
The Spaniard comes alive in the Ryder Cup and has nearly always seemed able to raise his game and secure points for Europe. He’s also in great form, having finished the LIV Golf season in third after a win and two runners-up finishes. He also recorded his best Major finish in over seven years when he was T12th at the US Open.
While there's an argument from some fans that he is 'washed up' or too old to play for Europe, that is far from the truth.
He might be outside of the top-400 in the OWGR, but he will still only be 45 come September next year and is 22nd in Data Golf’s rankings - the 8th-highest European - and 19th in The Universal Golf Ranking - the 7th-highest European. He is clearly still one of the continent's top golfers.
Garcia hopes to play in "two or three more" Ryder Cups, so Bethpage next year certainly isn't too late for him. "I feel like my game’s still good enough to play at least two or three Ryder Cups, so if I can keep that level going, hopefully everything gets sorted and we can get to that point," Garcia told Golf Monthly recently.
And even if he doesn't have the best of seasons in 2025, the Ryder Cup is played over 18 holes of match play, not 72, or 54 holes, of stroke play.
He’s a ready-made partner for Jon Rahm after the pair’s superb showing at Whistling Straits in 2021, where they won all three of their doubles match-ups together, and he has also had a great relationship with captain Luke Donald through the years, his former foursomes partner in multiple Ryder Cups.
Donald may love the idea of sending out an all-Spanish pairing of Garcia and Rahm, featuring his most experienced player and a two-time Major winner. The only issue there would be Rahm's new-found partnership with Tyrrell Hatton, which delivered Europe 2 points last time out from two outings.
There was, of course, also an issue with his friendship with Rory McIlroy breaking down during the early stages of golf's civil war, but that hopefully is ironed out by now. Garcia and McIlroy have played four matches together with a return of 2.5 points, so a return of that partnership would be some statement.
McIlroy only last week described Garcia as his hero growing up and the Spaniard seemed to suggest that he and McIlroy had rekindled their friendship at the 2023 US Open.
“The US Open was a great event for me,” Garcia said. “I finished 27th. Not only because of that, I feel like I played well. But more than anything because I gained a friend back, a friend I felt like I lost in the last year or so.
"We talked and we had a great conversation, and I feel like I have that friend back, and that to me means a lot. That’s a very positive thing.”
Whether Garcia makes a return to Team Europe is yet to be seen, and he will certainly need to continue his form next year to justify a wildcard pick from Luke Donald and his vice captains.
He might be a controversial figure, but he is a legend of European golf that has delivered points and winning moments for his continent time and time again. Sergio Garcia returning to the setup next year would be some story, and one that I hope comes to fruition.
