Another big name has left the sinking LIV ship. On Thursday Sergio Garcia said Europe’s DP World Tour will be his base next year, while the 46-year-old also left the door ajar for a comeback on the American circuit.
Garcia was among the first stars to sign with the Saudi-funded breakaway in June 2022, winning twice and captaining Fireballs GC. The project has since unravelled. The Saudi sovereign wealth fund PIF pulled its money in April after investing more than $5bn, and the league filed for Chapter 11 protection in September. A slimmed-down “LIV 2.0” is trying to fill its 2027 roster, but Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton, Ian Poulter and Graeme McDowell have already gone. In late September his lawyer petitioned the bankruptcy judge to cancel the deal.
The European circuit, he said, has shaped his career since he turned professional and feels like home again. He had already regained membership there after paying fines reported at over $1 million, which let him play several events this year, including the Spanish Open.
Above all he wants a place in Europe’s team when the Ryder Cup comes to Adare Manor next year. Nobody in the history of the competition has scored more than his 28.5 points, and he says he would like to be useful to the side in any role. Current rules, though, bar him from being captain or vice-captain, and he will have to climb from 146th in the world rankings to earn a spot as a player.
There is unfinished business in Georgia, too. Back in April at Augusta he broke a club in frustration, an outburst that earned him an official warning, the first such case there. Garcia now promises a focus on mental strength and says he is “excited to grind”.
