Sergio Garcia opens up on Ryder Cup hopes after 'good talk' with Luke Donald

European Ryder Cup hopeful Sergio Garcia says he would now accept a captain's pick from Luke Donald.

The Spaniard turned heads in May when he revealed he would refuse a pick from the Englishman even if he was offered one after lacklustre displays at The Masters and PGA Championship. 

Garcia, 45, missed the cut at Augusta National and finished 67th at Quail Hollow. 

"The way I'm playing, even if Luke offered me a pick right now, I would tell him no," Europe's all-time leading points scorer said. 

Ahead of LIV's stop this week in Andalucia, the former Masters champion said his answer would be different if Donald came calling today. 

"I had a good conversation with Luke last week, and we both know what we want," he told reporters. 

"The only thing I can do is keep working hard, keep building my confidence up, and if I'm able to do that, then it should be fine. We'll see."

Garcia's results have not picked up on LIV Golf since he started the season with a bang by winning his maiden title on the PIF-backed league in Hong Kong. 

He has fallen to fifth in their individual standings. 

And his return to the DP World Tour last week in Germany did not end well. 

Garcia missed the cut at the BMW International Open in Munich in what was his first start on his home circuit since making the switch to LIV in 2022. 

Garcia has qualified for next week's Open Championship by virtue of being the leading player on LIV Golf in the top five in the standings that wasn't already in the field. 

The R&A extended an olive branch to the breakaway tour in February in an attempt to not exclude LIV golfers. 

"The Open is my favourite major," Garcia said. "I love... I've always loved playing in front of the British crowds. I'm super excited to go back there and hopefully have a great week"

Garcia's performance at Royal Portrush is likely going to be the final opportunity he has to convince Donald to hand him his 11th Ryder Cup appearance and give him the opportunity to add to his haul of 28.5 points. 

"The pick is going to be up to him," he said. "Up to me is going to be the way I play. Obviously, yeah, if I play well, I think I have a good opportunity, a good chance of being picked. 

"If I don't, then it'll depend a little bit on where I stand or how things are going. We'll see. Still early."

Jon Rahm confident he's done enough

Whilst Garcia still feels he has a lot to do to convince Donald, one man believes he has already done enough to warrant inclusion at Bethpage Black.

Rahm told reporters on Wednesday he believes he has done enough to justify a captain's pick. 

Although he hasn't ruled out winning next week's Open to jump up the European Ryder Cup standings and qualify on merit. 

"I can still qualify, so hopefully I qualify, and it's a reality," Rahm said. 

"I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to win next week, but it's a possibility, and if not, we'll see what happens.

"But I'd like to think that I've played good enough to, if possible, be a pick."