Sergio García could make Ryder Cup return after talks with Luke Donald

Sergio García could be in line for a sensational Ryder Cup return at Bethpage next year after Luke Donald revealed he has held recent talks with the Spaniard about rejoining the DP World Tour.

García resigned from the Tour in early 2023 after a sports arbitration panel ruled sanctions imposed on the former Masters champion and others who joined LIV Golf were appropriate. That appeared the end of the Ryder Cup road for García, the event’s record points scorer, given only members of the DP World Tour can turn out for Europe. Garcia enjoyed an impressive 2024 season on LIV, finishing third on the overall individual standings.

Donald, the European captain, was asked on Tuesday about García’s situation in New York. The Englishman provided a surprising answer. “Obviously he resigned his membership but we have had some chats,” Donald said. “He is considering rejoining. He’d have to follow all the rules and regulations like everyone else, and if he does that, he will be eligible to partake in the Ryder Cup.

“We chatted on the phone a couple of weeks ago. He’s certainly very interested in doing that. He understands everything that’s involved and the decision has to go to him, whether he’s prepared to do all that. But certainly we’ve had that discussion, yes.”

García was absent when Donald’s European team saw off the US in Rome in 2023. Retaking membership of the DP World Tour, if he is serious about doing that, will not to be straightforward for the 44-year-old. He will have to pay outstanding fines and serve suspensions before being permitted to tee up in DP World Tour events.

In May of last year, the Tour said García was in default relating to a £100,000 sanction. It is understood that, plus potentially other fines, remains unpaid. The return of García, who has been critical of the DP World Tour, may also cause ructions among the rank and file membership.

Speaking at the same media conference as Donald, the US captain, Keegan Bradley, remained strangely opaque regarding what will happen in the entirely possible scenario that he qualifies for his own team. Rory McIlroy is among those to have publicly stated it would be impossible for Bradley to combine playing and captaincy duties. As now the world’s 14th-ranked player, Bradley has a strong chance of sealing a Bethpage playing berth.

“It’s always a goal of mine to play on the Ryder Cup teams,” Bradley said. “It’s so far off now that I’m not going to worry about it. Once we get closer to the tournament and I’m up there on the points list, then we’ll start to think about it. But I’m focused now on being the captain of the team and that’s it.”

Bradley admitted there will be “people inside the ropes monitoring the situation” as regards crowd behaviour on the outskirts of New York. Bethpage offers a famously raucous environment, which has fuelled fears the Ryder Cup scene could spiral out of control.

“It is really important to us that it’s a fair place to play for both teams,” Bradley said. “Nobody on either team wants this to get uncomfortable or weird out there.”