LIV Golf: Sergio Garcia labelled one of the game's "MOST UNPROFESSIONAL" ever
Golf Channel analyst and prominent LIV Golf critic has criticised Sergio Garcia, claiming he is one of the most unprofessional men to have played the game.
Golf Channel co-host and prominent LIV Golf critic Eamon Lynch says Sergio Garcia's recent behaviour was "perfectly on brand" as he labelled him one of the most unprofessional men to have played the game.
It very much appears that Garcia's future with Ryder Cup Europe is all but over after he missed the deadline to commit to the Mallorca Open on the DP World Tour, meaning that he is ineligible for selection for Luke Donald's side in 2023.
The 42-year-old Spaniard has also now officially been fined over his withdrawal from the BMW PGA Championship after failing to provide a medical reason for his exit.
Update: Sergio Garcia confirms Ryder Cup absence
Garcia memorably caught the headlines as after his withdrawal from the BMW PGA Championship - which was reduced to 54 holes following the death of Queen Elizabeth II - he was pictured in Texas at a college football game.
Even if Garcia were to get a promoter's invite to the Mallorca Open and play in the minimum number of events required by the DP World Tour to be eligible for selection for Team Europe, he may never have a future in the Ryder Cup anyway.
That is because the DP World Tour is trying to prevent their members who have and will participate in LIV Golf events from playing on the former European Tour. A court hearing is scheduled in the UK next February to determine this matter.
But sadly, for now at least, it appears that Garcia's Ryder Cup career has come to an anti-climactic end.
"He muttered a couple of months ago that he didn't feel loved on the European Tour," Lynch said of Garcia on Golf Today. "Well, it's hard to be loved when you're never at home. And Sergio has talked about this desire to support his home tour.
"Well, it stands in stark contrast with Jon Rahm who has continued to support events, particularly in Spain in the fall schedule but certainly Sergio has been kind of an absentee friend to the European Tour for quite some time and really does put to rest Jon Rahm's request or appeal for diplomacy here to have Sergio be part of a future Ryder Cup team particularly next year in Rome because they went unbeaten as a partnership in Whistling Straits last year. They were really the only bright spot for Europe.
WATCH:
A year before a Ryder Cup on European soil, Sergio Garcia is on the verge of forfeiting his DP World Tour membership and being ineligible for the competition.@damonhackGC & @eamonlynch react to the news. pic.twitter.com/ux0SZqAeEo
— Golf Today (@GCGolfToday) October 12, 2022
"But, clearly, I think Sergio Garcia knows that Jon Rahm is the outlier here because most of the rest of the team does not want Sergio Garcia. They don't want LIV players in general, they do not want Sergio Garcia specifically because Sergio showed up, took a spot from the field and kept somebody else out of the field at Wentworth and then had a hissy fit after play was cancelled when the Queen died and took off back to Texas without even extending the [DP World] Tour the courtesy of an explanation."
Lynch said Garcia's behaviour is "perfectly on brand" because if you were to draw up a list of the most unprofessional men who have ever played on the European Tour and PGA Tour "Sergio Garcia's name belongs on that list."
"He's been a great player, he's had a terrific career, but the stains on his reputation that he has managed to accumulate over the years have been pretty significant. They are constant. He never really fails to disappoint you in terms of his professional conduct.
"This isn't any different, this is a career decision he has been in a sense that he's clearly decided that his future lies in LIV Golf, he's not going to play the European Tour much any more. He obviously has the right to as an honorary member, he can play, but he's not going to be part of a Ryder Cup future.
"It will be interesting to see how this fits and how Sergio reacts to it."
Related: LIV bitterness will be swept aside at Ryder Cup, says Donald
Lynch said Garcia knows what the rules were and how they were going to be applied. "It'll be curious to see if he alleges this is some kind of anti-LIV conspiracy that has been cooked up to keep him out of the Ryder Cup."
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