Report: Sergio Garcia must pay £1m to return to DP World Tour and Ryder Cup

Sergio Garcia is said to owe £893,000 in sanctions and remains the only LIV Golf player yet to pay the original £100,000 fine, claims the Telegraph.

Andy Roberts

29 Feb 2024

Report: Sergio Garcia must pay £1m to return to DP World Tour and play Ryder Cup — Report: Sergio Garcia must pay £1m to return to DP World Tour and play…

LIV Golf's Sergio Garcia must pay just shy of £1m in sanctions and fines if he is to return to the DP World Tour and play in the European Ryder Cup team, according to the Telegraph's James Corrigan.

Garcia, 44, went on the Rick Shiels podcast and told the YouTube golf sensation he wanted to get his DP World Tour card back.

The podcast was recorded last November but uploaded to Shiels' channel last week, prompting confusion as to whether Garcia was true to his word.

Garcia explained he wanted to play on the DP World Tour at least four times in 2024, the minimum number required for membership.

That would have allowed Europe's record Ryder Cup points scorer back into the fold, potentially as a player for the 2025 contest at Bethpage Black in New York.

Report: Sergio Garcia must pay £1m to return to DP World Tour and Ryder Cup

Garcia resigned from the DP World Tour last May after sanctions imposed by the circuit to LIV golfers were upheld.

Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Richard Bland also joined Garcia in quitting their home circuit.

They challenged the circuit's right to impose huge fines for competing in LIV Golf events without tournament releases.

In truth it was a sad end but it was pointed out to them by DP World Tour their sanctions 'were a consequence of their own choices'.

It is believed Garcia signed for LIV Golf in the region of $40m in 2022.

Garcia has won a total of 16 times on the DP World Tour, formerly the European Tour.

The 2017 Masters champion won 11 times on the PGA Tour prior to ripping up his card.

Garcia missed the Nov. 2023 deadline to apply for DP World Tour membership

GolfMagic was last week informed Garcia did in fact miss the 19 November 2023 deadline to apply to regain his DP World Tour membership.

A spokesperson for the DP World Tour told GolfMagic's Ben Smith:

"First and foremost, whilst Rick's podcast was posted [last week], it's important to note he says it was filmed in November.

"The deadline for taking up DP World Tour membership for the 2024 season was 19 November 2023.

"Sergio did not apply to regain his membership which he previously resigned last May. He is therefore not a member for the 2024 season."

Sergio Garcia still owes just shy of £1m in sanctions and fines, per Telegraph

More information on Garcia's DP World Tour and Ryder Cup future came to light in a report by the Telegraph on 29 February.

DP World Tour officials based at Wentworth are understood to be "baffled" by Garcia's recent comments to Shiels, per the report.

A source told the Telegraph's James Corrigan:

"Sergio is either in denial or he is completely oblivious to the hurdles he must clear to become a member again."

Garcia is said to still owe £893,000 in sanctions and remains the only LIV Golf player yet to pay the original £100,000 fine that was imposed after the DP World Tour won a court hearing in April 2023.

That is a total of £993,000 that Garcia will need to cough up should he decide he wants to return to the DP World Tour and keep his hopes alive of playing in Luke Donald's European Ryder Cup team in 2025.

The Telegraph has also been informed Garcia will need to serve a total of nine weeks of bans before he can even play in any future DP World Tour events.

An insider told the Telegraph:

"Sergio’s statement was bizarre, seeing as he resigned when refusing to pay the first fine.

"He is probably hoping a deal is worked out in the current negotiations with PIF [the Saudi sovereign wealth fund], and there is an amnesty and a clear pathway back.

"But there is a strong feeling among the Tour's rank and file that the fines will have to be honoured first – and Sergio has only so far offered to pay if he could be considered for the Ryder Cup.

"Let’s just say that as of now his plan is unlikely and there is a stipulation that the regulations for 2024 stipulate that applications for membership can be rejected for any reason whatsoever."

Garcia is competing in this week's third LIV Golf event of the season in Saudi Arabia.

The Spaniard got off to a solid start this season when losing out in a playoff to Joaquin Niemann at Mayakoba.

Garcia is still seeking his first win on LIV.

Will Garcia decide to pay off his fines and give himself a chance to compete in the 2025 European Ryder Cup team, or has he decided to throw in the towel? Share your thoughts and comments over on the GolfMagic social media channels.

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