Sergio Garcia has pulled out of the Irish Open just hours before Luke Donald reveals his six captain’s picks on the 2025 European Ryder Cup team.
LIV Golf’s Garcia, 45, returned to the DP World Tour this season in a bid to try and return to the European Ryder Cup team.
The record Ryder Cup points scorer (28.5) was attempting to join Sir Nick Faldo and Lee Westwood for a joint record 11 appearances on the team.
Donald’s six captain’s picks will be confirmed at 2pm UK time today but it is widely considered Garcia will not be receiving one of his picks.
The European skipper revealed to GolfMagic at the British Masters two weeks ago that Garcia will more than likely miss out on a place in his team.
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Donald told us Garcia would need to show something at LIV Golf’s season-ending Team Championship in order to have any chance of a pick.
Fireballs GC, captained by Garcia, ended up finishing eighth in the 12-team shootout.
Garcia has played in just one regular DP World Tour event so far this season at the BMW International Open in July.
He is also scheduled to tee it up in his home Spanish Open in October.
Garcia also played in The Masters (MC), US PGA (T67) and The Open (T34), but those events do not make up part of membership of the DP World Tour.
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GolfMagic has had it confirmed that if Garcia wishes to remain a DP World Tour member for next season then he will need to play in a total of four tournaments on the schedule, excluding the majors.
“If a player doesn’t make their minimum, they fall out of membership,” a spokesperson of the DP World Tour told GolfMagic.
Garcia will therefore need to find another two more events on the DP World Tour this season if he wishes to return to the circuit in 2026.
The Spaniard is ranked 188th in the DP World Tour Rankings as it stands.
Garcia could go and win the Spanish Open in early October to force his way into the top 70 and earn a place in the DP World Tour Playoffs.
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The Playoffs begin in Abu Dhabi in November before concluding a week later in Dubai.
Garcia in LIV Golf action
Garcia has fallen to 411st in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) as a result of LIV Golf League events not accumulating any points.
He won his second career title on LIV Golf in Hong Kong in March en route to finishing the season in ninth position.
LIV Golf duo Tyrrell Hatton and Brooks Koepka are in the field at this week’s Irish Open, which is headlined by home favourite Rory McIlroy.
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Both McIlroy and Hatton are safely qualified on the European Ryder Cup team, but Koepka missed out on a pick on the US Ryder Cup team.
The Irish Open takes place at The K Club in Kildare.
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