Sergio Garcia Withdraws from Irish Open Ahead of Ryder Cup Picks

Sergio Garcia has withdrawn from the Irish Open at The K Club just hours before Europe’s Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald confirms his six captain’s picks for the 2025 team.

Garcia, 45, returned to the DP World Tour this season in an attempt to force his way back into the European side. The Spaniard is the competition’s all-time leading points scorer with 28.5 and was aiming to match Sir Nick Faldo and Lee Westwood with a record-equalling 11 appearances.

However, Donald hinted recently that Garcia would need a strong finish to the season to have any chance of selection. At the LIV Golf Team Championship, Garcia’s Fireballs GC finished only eighth out of 12 teams, leaving his Ryder Cup hopes all but over.

The Spaniard has featured sparingly on the DP World Tour, playing just once this year at the BMW International Open in July. His other starts came in the majors, where he missed the cut at The Masters, finished tied 67th at the PGA Championship, and tied 34th at The Open — results that do not count towards DP World Tour membership.

A Tour spokesperson confirmed that Garcia will need to play at least four DP World Tour events per season, excluding majors, to keep his membership. With just one event played so far, he must add at least two more before the end of the year to retain eligibility for 2026.

Currently ranked 188th in the DP World Tour Rankings and 411th in the Official World Golf Rankings, Garcia’s best chance to climb the standings will come at the Spanish Open in October. A victory there could push him into the top 70 and earn him a place in the season-ending playoffs in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Garcia did enjoy success earlier this year on the LIV Golf circuit, winning in Hong Kong and finishing ninth overall, but those events do not contribute world ranking points.

The Irish Open field this week still features LIV’s Tyrrell Hatton, who has already qualified for Europe’s Ryder Cup team, alongside Rory McIlroy. American Brooks Koepka, another LIV star, is also in action but was overlooked for selection on the U.S. team.