Sergio Garcia believes his chances of making it into golf's coveted Hall of Fame have been hampered, after he made the controversial decision to join LIV Golf in the summer of 2022.
Garcia became one of the marquee names to leave the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf last year, and the move has come at the cost. Upon his move the Spaniard was dished the same punishment as his fellow defectors, having been suspended from the PGA Tour.
The sanctions worsened for the 2017 Masters champion earlier this year, after European stalwart was also sanctioned by the DP World Tour, leading to Garcia resigning his membership after over 20 years on the circuit.
Arguably the biggest punishment of all though has proven to be his ineligibility to compete in the Ryder Cup, having announced himself as one of the greatest players to play in the matchplay event. Amid an impressive Ryder Cup career, Garcia has also won 11 PGA Tour titles, 16 DP World Tour crowns, as well as the Masters during his time as a pro.
Whether this makes him Hall of Fame material remains to be seen, but Garcia himself believes his chances could well be damaged by his LIV allegiances. Asked if he could see himself being inducted alongside either of Justin Rose and Adam Scott in 2026, he said: "I went to LIV, so I'm probably a little behind, Even though things are settling down.”
Of course the Spaniard's reference to golf's civil war 'settling down' references the proposed agreement between the PGA Tour and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF), that will see LIV work alongside their fierce rival. It brings to an end an ugly year for professional golf, but Garcia believes agreements should have been made 12 months ago.
He told Sky Sports: "At the end of the day, it is probably where we should have been from the beginning and I think it's better for everyone, so that's the most important thing." It remains to be seen as to whether the deal will effect the future running of the breakaway circuit.
And if the LIV setup is scrapped further down the line, Garcia is open to returning to the PGA Tour. "If there's no LIV Golf of course I'll have to go somewhere," he added. "We'll see. It doesn’t look like I’ll be able to do it this year unfortunately, it’s all speculation so we’ll find out more in the next few weeks."
Still yet to find out the key details of the deal, the Spaniard went on: "I wish I could tell you more but unfortunately not much. I guess things will come out as everything settles, but I think at the end of the day it is where we probably should have been [merged] at the beginning and I think it is better for everyone, so that is the most important thing."
