Sergio Garcia and 8 other LIV Golf stars to become DP World Tour members in 2025
Nine LIV Golf players have taken up membership on the DP World Tour for 2025 - including former Sergio Garcia, who has been given a route back into the Ryder Cup
Nine LIV Golf players, including former Masters champion Sergio Garcia, have signed up for the DP World Tour in 2025.
The list of new members also includes Tyrrell Hatton, Jon Rahm, Adrian Meronk, Dean Burmester, Joaquin Niemann, Thomas Pieters, Patrick Reed and Lucas Herbert. Interestingly, Garcia is the only one who didn't participate in this season's DP World Tour.
The Spanish golfer resigned his membership back in 2023 after an arbitration panel upheld the tour's right to penalise players who took part in LIV Golf events without permission. This decision was a blow for Garcia, a founding member of the breakaway LIV league in 2022, as it resulted in him being excluded from the Ryder Cup.
To be considered for selection, European players must be active members of the tour. Garcia, who has participated in 10 Ryder Cups, holds the record for the most points in the event's history with 28.5, boasting 25 wins against just 13 losses and seven ties. Despite being 44, he remains a top-tier player, having won the LIV Golf Andalucia in July and finishing third in the season-long order of merit.
However, he had to watch from home as his European allies defeated the Americans in Rome to regain the Ryder Cup 13 months ago. But now, the 2017 Masters champion has reopened the door to play in the Ryder Cup again.
The DP World Tour has told Mirror Sport that Garcia has settled the hefty fines, which exceeded £1million, incurred for his participation in LIV Golf events. Before he's back on the DP World Tour, Garcia still faces a suspension period.
While it’s uncertain when he'll return to the greens, regaining his membership means Ryder Cup eligibility is back on the table for him. His eagerness to join Luke Donald's squad at Bethpage Black next autumn is no secret.
"He thinks he can play," Donald said in September. "He wants to play. I don't think he has talked to me about being an assistant captain, but again, he would have to re-join the tour for him to be eligible.
"He's certainly very interested in doing that. He understands everything that's involved and again, the decision has to go to him whether he's prepared to do all that. But certainly, we've had that discussion."
Another point of interest is the American Ryder Cup team, which experiences repercussions from this situation. Of the nine LIV Golfers with potential DP World Tour action next season, Patrick Reed is the lone American. He secures his spot by virtue of his 2019 Masters triumph.
Reed's eligibility to compete on the DP World Tour could provide him with an advantage over his fellow countrymen vying for Ryder Cup qualification who lack similar privileges. Reed will have the opportunity to accumulate world ranking points, a perk not available at LIV events, enhancing his prospects of participating in the majors and subsequently securing a spot on Keegan Bradley's 12-man USA team.
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