Jon Rahm welcomes Sergio Garcia back to the DP World Tour and says his fellow Spaniard remains one of the best players in the world and can build on his European Ryder Cup ambitions later this year significant impact.
Garcia's move to the LIV Tour and subsequent withdrawal from the DP World Tour appeared to close the door on a landmark Ryder Cup career for the 45-year-old. However, Garcia rejoined the DP World Tour in November and paid a fine of around £1m in a dramatic return to the Ryder Cup at Bethpage. According to Lahm, his fellow Spaniard remains one of the top ten players in Europe.
“For anyone who sees him on any given day, Sergio García can hit the ball better from tee to green than anyone on the planet,” Rahm said. “It's that simple. He's still that good, he's still very valuable.
“I understand the change of circumstances. I get it. Being Spanish, being a friend and a mentor [to me]I will obviously be biased against him. I would love to see him in the team room, but who knows what will happen.
“I also understand that we performed well at the last Ryder Cup, with a newer team, coming together and performing the way we did. I hope, I believe, Sergio has a place there. I think Sergio It's just a matter of letting the club do the talking.”
Garcia will make another DP World Tour appearance in Bahrain later this month. In 2024, he had one win and five other top-five finishes at LIV. However, Garcia hasn't had a major top-10 finish since winning the 2017 Masters. It feels unlikely that Europe captain Luke Donald will hand Garcia a wildcard pick, meaning the 10-time Ryder Cup participant will need to qualify for Europe's title defense.
Rahm's own Ryder Cup situation is complicated by the DP World Tour's appeal against his fine and ban for participating in the LIV event. It's unclear when Rahm's case or Tyrell Hatton's case will be heard. “I don't know what will happen in the future, but I can tell you my plan is to join the team at Bethpage,” Lahm added. “I hope they don't try to resolve the appeal before the Ryder Cup. I don't think it would be good for anyone. But my plan is to go to Bethpage.”