Spanish golf superstar Sergio Garcia has put his name forward to lead Team Europe at the next Ryder Cup, hoping that Tiger Woods will lead the American team in Bethpage, New York.
The Ryder Cup fortress was successfully defended by the European team on home soil last week as they triumphed over the US with a score of 16.5-11.5. Notable players such as Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, and Ian Poulter were notably missing from the event in Rome due to their involvement with the LIV Golf League. Their departure from the DP World Tour a few months ago marked the end of their aspirations to participate or lead in future Ryder Cup competitions.
According to reports, Garcia made a final effort to secure a spot in the European squad by paying £700,000 to the DP World Tour. Unfortunately, his plea was rejected by the Tour.
Nevertheless, with the recent merger between PIF, PGA, and DP World Tour in June, the dynamics have shifted. It is possible that the qualification rules for the biennial event could undergo changes in the future.
Greg Norman Jr., the son of LIV Golf’s CEO Greg Norman, took to Twitter on Monday, October 1, to express his support for the Spaniard as Europe’s captain for the 45th Ryder Cup. In his tweet, he compared the golfer’s name with that of another experienced player, Tiger Woods.
He tweeted:
“2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage. Captain Tiger Woods vs. Captain Sergio Garcia.”
2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage.
Captain Tiger Woods vs. Captain Sergio Garcia.
— Greg Norman Jr (@GregJrNorman) October 2, 2023
The 11-time champion of the PGA Tour retweeted it, indicating his approval of Norman Jr.’s prediction. Moreover, he also retweeted LIV Golf Nation’s tweet, which proposed Phil Mickelson as the name for 2025.
Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia.
— LIV Golf Nation (@LIVGolfNation) October 2, 2023
Although Tiger Woods hasn’t had a remarkable performance at the biennial event, Garcia holds the record for the highest number of points scored for Team Europe. Surprisingly, this was only the second time in 24 years that he didn’t make it to the squad.
He accumulated a total of 28.5 points in 10 matches between 1999 and 2021. The only event he missed was the 2010 Ryder Cup due to a challenging period, however, he was selected as the vice captain for that particular year.
How many titles has Sergio Garcia won?
Golfer’s career wins explored
Here are Sergio Garcia’s professional wins:
PGA Tour:
2001: MasterCard Colonial, Buick Classic
2002: Mercedes Championships
2004: EDS Byron Nelson Championship, Buick Classic
2005: Booz Allen Classic
2008: The Players Championship
2012: Wyndham Championship
2016: AT&T Byron Nelson
2017: Masters Tournament
2020: Sanderson Farms Championship
European Tour:
1999: Murphy’s Irish Open, Linde German Masters
2001: Trophée Lancôme
2002: Canarias Open de España
2004: Mallorca Classic
2005: Omega European Masters
2008: Castelló Masters Costa Azahar
2008-09: HSBC Champions (Note: This win was in the 2009 season.)
2011: Castelló Masters, Andalucía Masters
2014: Commercial Bank Qatar Masters
2017: Omega Dubai Desert Classic,
2018: Andalucía Valderrama Masters
2019: KLM Open
Asian Tour
2002: Kolon Cup Korea Open
2008: HSBC Champions
2012: Iskandar Johor Open
2013: Thailand Golf Championship
2015: Ho Tram Open
2018: SMBC Singapore Open
Other wins
1997: Open de Cataluña (as an amateur)
2001: Nedbank Golf Challenge
2002: Telus World Skins Game
2003: Nedbank Golf Challenge (2)
2010: Gary Player Invitational (with United States John Cook)
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