Sergio Garcia has pulled out of this weekend’s Amgen Irish Open, due to the disappointment of not being selected as a captain’s pick for Europe’s Ryder Cup team.
Captain Luke Donald revealed his six picks on Monday, with Garcia – a ten-time Ryder Cup selection – not among them. Shane Lowry was among those to be included.
“I felt like I was so looking forward to being a part of that team, and so I felt like mentally, it was kind of tough,” Garcia said in an interview with GolfMagic.
“I didn’t want to go there 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. Do a couple of things outside of golf and just kind of reboot a little bit, recharge the batteries.”
The Irish Open begins on Thursday at The K Club in Kildare, with live coverage on RTÉ Sport.
Garcia, 45, plays in the LIV Golf League, which hampered his ability to earn rankings points toward an automatic qualification. The Spaniard is the all-time leading point scorer in Ryder Cup history.
He has 28.5 points and a 25-13-7 record. The leading American is the late Billy Casper, with 23.5 points and a 20-10-7 record.
Garcia last played for Team Europe in 2021, a loss at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.
As well as Lowry, Donald selected Ludvig Aberg, Matt Fitzpatrick, Viktor Hovland, Jon Rahm and Sepp Straka, all of whom were part of the winning European team at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club near Rome in 2023.
The 45th Ryder Cup will be played from 26-28 September at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York.
“The call with Luke was fine. Not the call I wanted, obviously, but the conversation was fine,” Garcia said.
“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.”
Donald today appointed Alex Noren as his fifth vice-captain.
The Swede, who was part of Europe’s 2018 success in Paris, completes Donald’s backroom staff for the tournament at Bethpage Black in New York, joining brothers Francesco and Edoardo Molinari, Thomas Bjorn and Jose Maria Olazabal.
Noren said: “It was a big shock when I found out. I didn’t expect it at all. I want to bring a good attitude to the team room, bring some knowledge. I’ve been in this game a long time.
“This Ryder Cup is going to be one of the toughest ones to win because of where it is. It’s going to be a very tough crowd, but I think that can feed our players as well.”
Watch the Amgen Irish Open with RTÉ Sport. Live coverage on Thursday and Friday available on RTÉ2, with Saturday and Sunday on RTÉ One. All four days live on RTÉ Player.