Sergio Garcia says Ryder Cup absence ‘hurts’, denies expletive-laded rant at BMW International Open

Sergio Garcia has said turning his back on the Ryder Cup hurts, and denied reports of an expletive-laden outburst at the BMW International Open.

The Spaniard holds a series of Ryder Cup records, being the youngest European to play when he was 19 in the 1999 edition and Europe’s record points scorer with 28.5.

He is not eligible to play in next year’s Ryder Cup as he has not played enough events on the DP World Tour in 2022 to retain his membership – which came about due to his move to LIV Golf.

Garcia had the chance to play in the Mallorca Open last week to meet the eligibility criteria, but elected not to return to his native Spain.

He suggested the reason why he did not commit was that he was made to feel unwelcome by prospective members of the European team.

It has been reported that Garcia’s relationship with world No. 1 Rory McIlroy has completely broken down, and the 42-year-old has said he did not want to be a distraction in Rome.

“Obviously I knew some of the things that might happen if I joined here,” Garcia said at a press conference in Florida ahead of the final LIV event of the year. “But at the end of the day, as we’re seeing, you can see that some of the guys on the other side don’t really want me there.

“I don’t want to be a burden to anyone and even less in a Ryder Cup. I’d rather be away from that as much as it hurts and make sure that Europe has the best chance of winning than me being there and three or four guys that are going to be there are going to be upset or something.”

During his fleeting appearances on the DP World Tour this year, Garcia has been a controversial figure.

He withdrew from the BMW PGA Championship after one round without giving any explanation, and was pictured later the same weekend at a college football game in America.

Garcia has lifted the lid on his departure from Wentworth, saying it was because he was made to feel unwelcome.

“I was playing great and excited to get there and get some Ryder Cup points and everything, but already on Thursday morning [after DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley and Billy Horschel’s press conferences], I wasn’t right. I felt like there was really not much for me to do there; I couldn’t concentrate.”

At the BMW International Open in Germany earlier in the year, it was reported that Garcia lost his cool after being informed of a fine for teeing it up at a LIV event.

Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre was reported to be one of the players to witness it and although he has never confirmed it, he wrote on Twitter: “Amazing how fast you can lose respect for someone that you’ve looked up to all your life.”

Garcia has spoken about the incident, claiming it was blown out of proportion.

“I don’t even know what they’re talking about,” Garcia said. “I obviously was sad to see where things were going [with the sanctions], but some guys, apparently Robert MacIntyre and I don’t know who else, are saying I lost it and started shouting. I don’t recall that.

“I might have said I hate where this is going because I feel like I’m more emotionally involved, but I think everyone took the opportunity to make a big deal out of something that wasn’t.”