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Luke Donald told Sergio Garcia that the regulations did not allow Spanish to act as deputy captain during the Ryder Cup of this year and that his only chance of getting involved in New York was as a player.
Garcia recently paid exceptional fines at the DP World Tour totaling more than a million pounds sterling for joining the Liv Golf League and after having resigned from his local circuit two years ago, the 44 -year -old has now joined.
However, even if this U-turn means that it will be eligible to represent Europe with Bethpage Black, in the current state of things, a little-known rule guarantees that it cannot be appointed assistant, nor, to the ‘Avenir, same captain.
Donald was questioned earlier this week on the chances of Garcia – the top scorer of all time of the Ryder Cup and a good friend of the English – to play a role in the room of the blue and gold team S ‘ He cannot qualify as a right or if he is chosen as a generic character.
But after having hinted a few months ago that he thought it could be a possibility if Garcia was back in “good position on the Tour”, the European skipper now realizes that it would be contrary to the regulation of the Tour.
“The rules will have to change if Sergio wants to become a assistant,” said Donald. “So I didn’t think about it much, because this scenario is not currently authorized.”
The Tour introduced a rule in 2018 which stipulates that “players cannot be captain or vice-captain of the European Ryder Cup if they refuse their membership in the European circuit or do not fulfill their minimum obligation in terms of event in seasonal lesson ”.
A rebellious league funded by Saudi Arabia was not even a rumor at the time and the new stipulation was implemented to persuade big names to let their membership expire in the years outside Ryder Cup.
However, like Garcia and other European legends, such as Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter, made their cards in 2023 after the Tour won a court in court to have the right to impose sanctions, they are not eligible To be part of the management team.
Depending on the results of the negotiations between the Saudi public investment fund and the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour, this draconian measure may well be abandoned, but this is very unlikely in the next nine months.
Thus, unless Garcia – who should take his first regular departure on the Tour in 30 months in Bahrain in three weeks – can, as a world number 441, challenge the forecasts to win a 10th place at the Ryder Cup, it will be Again present on the circuit. The exterior looks inside. And his compatriot Jon Rahm would only be a European heavyweight dismayed by such a situation.
“I think it would be really stupid on the part of anyone not to rely on the experience of Sergio Garcia in Ryder Cup,” said Rahm. “I mean, he is the best player that Europe has ever had, he has won the most points and has shown it many times. If he could become vice-captain, I would absolutely rely on him .
Rahm himself joined Liv shortly after making these comments and was also sanctioned by the Tour. However, even if he has not yet paid the fines, the double major champion is authorized to continue playing on the Tour after calling.
Rahm, as well as his colleagues players of Liv Tyrrell Hatton, Adrian Méronk, Thomas Pieters and Patrick Reed, will participate in the Dubai Desert Classic of the Tour next week.
Donald is also in this area of $ 9 million. The former world number 1 was here at ABU Dhabi Golf Club this week, supervising the Team Cup, a match between Great Britain and Ireland and continental Europe which is in fact a dress rehearsal of the Ryder Cup.
And Donald will have been impressed by the form of Tommy Fleetwood while GB & I took an almost unassailable advance of 11-4 before the end Sunday. Fleetwood won three in three games. Justin Rose’s team only needs two additional points out of the 10 single to win the Francesco Molinari continentals.
