Sergio Garcia has sensationally pulled out of the upcoming Irish Open, citing emotional issues after missing out on a spot in Europe’s Ryder Cup team.
The Spaniard was not one of Luke Donald’s six captain’s picks on Monday, meaning he will miss out on the event for the second successive edition.
Europe and the United States will go head-to-head at Bethpage Black in New York when the biennial event kicks off on September 26.
Garcia’s omission appears to have contributed to his emotional fatigue, which was the reason he gave for pulling out of the upcoming Irish Open.
The 45-year-old revealed he is looking to ‘”recharge the batteries” with his family, adding that Monday’s Ryder Cup snub would make it difficult for him to focus at The K Club this week.
“The call with Luke was fine but not the call I wanted, obviously,” Garcia told GolfMagic when asked about his Ryder Cup omission.
“Now, the only thing I can do is support the team from home. It’s as simple as that. I’ll be watching and cheering on the European team.”
Garcia might be the leading all-time points scorer in the history of the Ryder Cup, but that wasn’t enough to earn him a place in the team.
Instead, Donald has selected 11 of the 12 players that helped Europe to victory back in 2023.
Jon Rahm, Shane Lowry, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Aberg, Matt Fitzpatrick and Sepp Straka all joined automatic qualifiers Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Bob MacIntyre, Tyrrell Hatton and Rasmus Hoijgaard.
The latter’s inclusion came at the expense of his twin brother Nicolai, marking the only change to the side that regained the trophy in Rome.
Garcia set to miss out on massive payday
Missing out on the Irish Open means Garcia will not be in the running for the enormous $1million winner’s prize.
Instead, it will be a star-studded field that battles for the huge payday at The K Club, including McIlroy, Lowry and Hatton. American stars Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed will also be in action.
“I felt like I was so looking forward to being a part of that [Ryder Cup] team. Mentally, it was kind of tough,” explained Garcia.
“I didn’t want to go there [to the Irish Open] and not be fully engaged in the tournament and stuff.
“So I just decided to take a little bit of time off and spend it with the family and do a couple of things, some things outside of golf, and just kind of reboot a little bit, recharge the batteries.”
Garcia has enjoyed a respectable season, finishing ninth in LIV’s individual player standings and winning a title in Hong Kong last March.
What’s next for Sergio Garcia?
Garcia has previously expressed his desire at playing in “a few more Ryder Cups” before potentially taking up a captaincy role further down the line.
The Spaniard has already played in 10 editions of the event, scoring a record 28.5 points from the time of his debut in 1999 to his last appearance in 2021.
Garcia’s decision to rejoin the DP World Tour and pay his fines in order to become eligible marked a serious statement of intent.
However, his form recently has been questionable, with the player dropping to 188th in the DP World Tour rankings – putting him at risk of missing out on the nearing playoffs.
The next big goal for Garcia will be next month’s Spanish Open. The former Masters champion needs a strong performance in order to boost his spot in the rankings.
In terms of Garcia’s Ryder Cup future, it all comes down to one thing – form.
The Spaniard’s experience will always make him a strong candidate for selection, but considering he will be 47 by the time the next Ryder Cup comes around, it’s questionable whether he will be good enough to justify a spot in the team.
Read next: Who’s in? Who missed out? Luke Donald’s Team Europe line-up revealed
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