KILDARE, Ireland – Sergio Garcia, the record-holding points scorer in Ryder Cup history, has withdrawn from the 2025 Amgen Irish Open at The K Club, citing emotional fatigue following his exclusion from Team Europe’s Ryder Cup squad. The announcement comes just days after European captain Luke Donald revealed his six captain’s picks for the upcoming Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, with Garcia absent from the lineup.
Garcia, a 45-year-old Spaniard and 10-time Ryder Cup participant, had been a longshot to make the team but had been vocal about his desire to return to the biennial event, where he has amassed an unmatched 28.5 points across his career. However, Donald opted to retain 11 of the 12 players from the victorious 2023 European team, with Rasmus Højgaard replacing his twin brother Nicolai as the only change. The decision left Garcia, a former Masters champion and LIV Golf player, upset.
In an interview with GolfMagic, Garcia expressed frustration with not being picked: “I felt like I was so looking forward to being a part of that team, and so I felt like mentally, you know, mentally it was kind of tough,” he said. “I didn’t want to go there and not be fully engaged in the tournament and stuff, so I just decided to take a little bit of time off and spend it with the family and do a couple of things, you know, some things outside of golf and just kind of reboot a little bit, recharge the batteries.”
Garcia’s 2025 season showed early promise, with three top-6 finishes in his first five starts, highlighted by a victory at LIV Golf Hong Kong in March and a T3 in Miami, ahead of the Masters. However, his form dipped later in the year, with only one top-10 finish in his final eight LIV events along with lackluster performances in the majors, including a missed cut at the Masters and a T67 at the PGA Championship. His sole DP World Tour event, the BMW International Open, also ended with a missed cut, further diminishing his chances of an automatic Ryder Cup qualification. Garcia’s current world ranking of 411, hampered by LIV Golf events being blackballed from accruing Official World Golf Ranking points, also worked against him.
Despite his absence from the Irish Open, Garcia has found a lighter distraction. He was spotted in New York watching compatriot Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open and is set to play a friendly round of golf with the tennis star. Alcaraz jokingly requested “10 to 15 shots” to level the playing field, prompting a chuckle from Garcia.
The Irish Open, which begins Thursday at The K Club, will still feature a star-studded field, including Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, Tyrrell Hatton, and LIV Golf’s Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed. McIlroy, a Ryder Cup teammate, expressed mixed feelings about Garcia’s withdrawal.
“I mean, it would have been great for the tournament if Sergio played, but obviously, he was trying to keep himself sharp, I guess, if he did get a pick,” McIlroy said. “He has the right to enter and pull out of whatever tournaments he wants.”
Despite having his Ryder Cup hopes dashed, Garcia plans to support Team Europe from afar. “The call with Luke was fine, but not the call I wanted, obviously,” he told GolfMagic.
“Now, the only thing I can do is support the team from home. I’ll be watching and cheering on the European team.”
