After winning another LIV golf title in Hong Kong, Sergio Garcia received a congratulatory text from one of his longtime friends.
It was from Luke Donald. He was also captain of this year's Ryder Cup.
“He said it would be great to see another European victory,” Garcia said in a call with the media on Tuesday.
“We've been talking for a while. We're having fun talking to each other and seeing what's going on.”
Back in October, Donald confirmed that Garcia is not eligible for the 2025 Ryder Cup team. However, the European captain said he and Garcia discussed how to resolve it. In partnership with LIV Golf, the DP World Tour has fined the Spaniards. To play for a European Ryder Cup team, you must be a European citizen and a great DP World Tour member.
Garcia paid those fines as of January. He is currently the subject of the Ryder Cup.
“We're good friends. We were there at the Ryder Cup,” Garcia said of Donald.
“He knows what I can bring to the team.”
What Garcia brings to the table is the biggest Ryder Cup record in history. He scored 28.5 points in total. It's 5 points more than Billy Casper. Garcia also has all but two Europeans and has played in 45 matches in 10 Ryder Cups. Only Nick Faldo and Lee Westwood performed more.
If Garcia joins this year's team with Beth Page Black, it marks his 11th start in the Ryder Cup and therefore coincides with Faldo and Westwood's records. Only Phil Mickelson played more in the 12.
But what will Garcia have to do to wear blue and gold on Long Island this fall?
“After all, it's just playing good golf and being consistent throughout the year,” Garcia said.
“I'm on his radar, that's what you need to know. The only thing I can do is keep doing what I'm doing and if you can call it that, keep making excuses to have the opportunity to pick me when it comes down on the wire.
“So we'll see, we'll see what happens.”
First, Garcia needs to flip through a good show at Augusta National where valuable Ryder Cup points are available. This year, he earns 5,000 points at the Masters, with 835 points being the winner (this formula applies to four majors from European players). However, playing well is a tall task. Garcia missed five of his final six cuts at Augusta, dating back to his victory in 2017. However, the form of the Spaniards has improved significantly over the past nine months. Datagolf lists him as the 27th best player In the world for now.
“It's a willingness to keep improving and keep getting better. I think it's important. We're always working hard in the game, but I'm working hard and I think it works well with it.
“And physically, I might not be the strongest in the world, but it doesn’t work very well, but I didn’t need to take a lot of breaks in my career due to injuries, so I think you play well, and that kind of thing.
“So I'm very fortunate and very blessed with it. I think that's why I'm still performing at my age.”
If he wants to go to Beth Page, he needs to continue his performance beyond Augusta.
The biggest problem Garcia is currently facing is that he is eligible for PGA Championships other than the master. PGA of America has awarded Garcia a special invitation to compete in Quail Hollow this year, thanks to his powerful shows at LIV Golf and other global events. However, missing out on a three-footer in Macau this past week prevented him from receiving an invitation to what Garcia called his “favorite major.”
He has other opportunities to qualify for the open and our open, but that's not an easy task. Still, Garcia has the pedigree, experience and talent to do it. If he can make it on those fields, he knows the points of the Ryder Cup that he can earn. And if he accomplishes it with a European team, Americans should be careful, as no one has a better record than Garcia.
Jack Mirco is a golf staff writer who plays SB Nation. Follow him with x @jack_milko.
