Sergio García opened the thunderbox at Saint Andrews. The man from Castellón delivered a +1 card on the fourth day of the British Open (-2 in total) and while glory was at stake in this historic 150th edition, he dropped the bomb: he gave up be a member of the European Tour and therefore he will not be able to play in their tournaments and the Ryder Cup, due to the conflict of round with the Saudi league for which he signed. “I’m clear on what I’m going to do. Honestly I want to play where they want me I want to feel loved and right now in the round European, I don’t feel like that. When Thomas Bjorn [jugador danés y capitán del equipo europeo de la Ryder en París 2018] comes in the BMW [torneo de Múnich que disputó recientemente] and he says to us ‘we don’t want you here, the players don’t want you here’, it’s not pretty, and I’m already old enough and in pain enough to put up with nonsense like that”, commented Garcia, 42 years old.
“I’m pretty clear on what I’m going to do with the European Tour”
“I want to play where they want me. And on the European circuit, I don’t feel loved” pic.twitter.com/HpL3fSx1Qq— Golf at Movistar Plus+ (@MovistarGolf) July 17, 2022
The boy was a of the most popular signings in the Saudi league, LIV Golf, with Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson, early June. Since then, the rebels have not escaped the eye of the storm. García resigned from continuing on the U.S. Tour shortly before the PGA Tour made it official that it was expelling all insurgents from its ranks, a move he announced early in the league’s first of eight tournaments. petrodollars in London this year. The European Tour waited to see how the chess game would go and its punishment was twofold, albeit milder: a fine of 116,000 euros to players registered for the London event and the ban on playing on this course the three tournaments that it shares with the American circuit, the Scottish Open, the Barbasol Championship and the Barbacuda Championship. The sanction stung García, who understands that after 23 years of professional career on the European circuit he had the right and freedom to take advantage of the Saudi league offer while continuing to compete with his former teammates. Fed up, he decided to slam the door despite the pain of Ryder’s divorce.
“They don’t make you feel good. I gave more than half a life to round European and I feel that because you make a personal and professional decision, because for once in your life you take care of yourself without leaving anything behind, because I wanted to continue with them, that they treat you like that. .. It is not worth the trouble . There are things that can be done in different ways and what they do is not the best because the round The European will become the fifth in the world, ”exploded the Castellonnais. In the last days at Saint Andrews, he had repeated that he was in a “mentally complicated” moment and that he was having trouble sleeping. To the returns of his game was added the internal conflict that this Sunday externalized. “Now I’m going to enjoy what I have, I’ll play less, I’ll be home more. If I don’t play big, I don’t play big, I don’t care either. I’m sorry for the Ryder, but since I’m playing, I’m not there either. We’re going to enjoy what we have, the players where they want us and the others who do what they want.”
The fright leaves Garcia with six more tournaments in the Saudi league to play this course (the next one is in New Jersey from July 29-31), waiting for the competition to expand to 10 dates next year and 14 the following year, and with the possibility of entering the Asian circuit. Farewell to the Ryder, whose next edition will take place in Rome in 2023, the competition in which the Spaniard is a myth: six titles, the top scorer in the history of the tournament (28.5 points) and the golfer with the most wins (25) . This is how García also closes a cycle on the European Tour in which he added 16 victories and amassed 31 million euros in prize money. And his participation in the great remains in tune with the times. El Niño has only guaranteed his lifetime contest in the Masters, an exemption earned by his victory in 2017, but Augusta has yet to say whether or not he will retain that privilege for those who escaped to the Saudi league. Against the other big three, it will depend on their place in the world rankings, a list in which they have dropped to 68th place because LIV Golf tournaments do not score (the request that they count like other competitions is under consideration ).
The war continues in the offices while the victims accumulate. Garcia is not one more. The Spaniard with the most disputed majors (95, a victory and 23 rankings among the first 10), bastion of the Ryder, has fallen. The noise rises: “Weeks like this in Saint Andrews show how beautiful golf is and it’s a shame that there are these fights. I understand the reasons why people play at LIV and it’s a shame that they have to give up their PGA Tour and European Tour status when Sergio is someone who has dedicated his life to the European Tour,” said Jon Rahm “To have them turn their backs on him in this way doesn’t seem right to me. Having to make this decision hurts me. The best event that advertises golf in the world is the Ryder and that because of this nonsense there are players like Sergio who cannot play makes me a little more angry. He is the best player Europe has ever had. It’s hard to understand,” continued the world number three, hoping for a negotiation that leads to an agreement: “I hope they sit down to talk. I don’t really think players turn their backs on circuits, it’s just that they take advantage of another opportunity because there is more money. I wish they would sit down and find a golf model they can co-exist on because LIV Golf isn’t going anywhere. Hopefully soon we will have some peace.
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