Although Sergio Garcia said recently he'd be returning to the DP World Tour in a bid to get back on the Ryder Cup team - it may cost him $1m to do so.
The Spaniard resigned his membership of the DP World Tour when opting to join LIV Golf, which also ruled him out of contention for the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome.
Garcia recently told the Rick Shiels Golf Show that he was "going to be a member again of the European Tour" in order to "give myself the best possibility of playing the Ryder Cup".
His plan was to play the minimum of four events to keep his card for 2025 and thereby be eligible for Luke Donald's team heading to Bethpage Black trying to retain the trophy they won in Rome.
"I guess at the end of the day if I am eligible, they see I am making the effort and I do well with LIV and I am consistent then at least hopefully I can be considered, not only because of my game but what I can bring to the team, and my history in the event," Garcia said.
However, Garcia's plan may not be as easy as he made it sound, or at least it will cost him a small fortune according to The Telegraph's James Corrigan, who has had word from inside the DP World Tour.
The Telegraph report says Garcia, who is the only player yet to pay the original £100,000 fine the DP World Tour handed out to players joining LIV, would owe £893,000 in total fines if he wanted to re-join the Tour.
“Sergio’s statement was bizarre, seeing as he resigned when refusing to pay the first fine,” a DP World Tour insider is quoted as saying by The Telegraph.
“He is probably hoping a deal is worked out in the current negotiations with PIF and there is an amnesty and a clear pathway back.
“But there is a strong feeling among the tour’s rank and file that the fines will have to be honoured first – and Sergio has only so far offered to pay if he could be considered for the Ryder Cup."
There's also talk of any returning players from LIV having to sit out as long as nine-week suspensions before being able to tee it up in tournaments again.
The 44-year-old may just have been speaking off the cuff with Shiels, as it sounds like he has not yet looked into returning to the Tour or discussed what potential hurdles there would be with officials at Wentworth.
Europe's all-time Ryder Cup record points scorer clearly loves the event, and seems desperate to try and get back involved for what will be one of the toughest away assignments possible at Bethpage.
And with Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hattton now on LIV Golf and Rory McIlroy stating Rahm at least has to be involved in 2025, maybe there's a route back for Garcia that does not involve re-joining the DP World Tour.
He seems keen to try though, just as he did last year as the Telegraph also reported that Garcia had made a last-ditch bid to try and get involved in Donald's side - offering to pay back the initial £100,000 fine that still remains unpaid.
