Team Europe captain Luke Donald opted against picking Sergio Garcia for the Ryder Cup, and the decision has led to the veteran’s withdrawal from the upcoming Irish Open

Sergio Garcia said it was ‘tough’ mentally after being snubbed from Team Europe’s Ryder Cup team(Image: 2025 Getty Images)

Sergio Garcia has announced that he won’t compete at the upcoming Irish Open, as the LIV Golf star is not “fully engaged” after missing out on the Ryder Cup roster.

The Ryder Cup returns to the United States this year, and the biennial men’s golf competition will be held in Bethpage, New York. Team USA captain Keegan Bradley decided against picking himself when announcing his picks, and Team Europe captain Luke Donald has also unveiled his roster.

Garcia, 45, holds the record for most Ryder Cup points, but hasn’t featured in the competition since 2021. After Donald told him over the phone that he won’t be playing at Bethpage, Garcia decided to withdraw from his upcoming DP World Tour event in Ireland.

The golf veteran has already cemented his Ryder Cup legacy, but was eager to make history. Garcia needs one more Ryder Cup inclusion to join Sir Nick Faldo and Lee Westwood on a record 11 appearances for Team Europe.

Donald announced an almost identical roster to two years ago, when Team Europe beat Team USA in a memorable clash in Rome. The only change was slight, as Rasmus Hojgaard replaced twin brother Nicolai.

Hojgaard qualified automatically alongside Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Robert MacIntyre, Justin Rose, and Tyrrell Hatton. Donald used his captain’s picks on Shane Lowry, Jon Rahm, Sepp Straka, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Aberg, and Matt Fitzpatrick.

Garcia last played at the Ryder Cup in 2021(Image: 2021 Getty Images)

After missing out on the team and withdrawing from the Irish Open, Garcia told GolfMagic: “The call with Luke was fine, but not the call I wanted, obviously, but the conversation was fine. Now, the only thing I can do is support the team from home.

“It’s as simple as that. I’ll be watching and cheering on the European team.”

When explaining his decision, Garcia added: “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. 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.” Donald hinted that he would overlook Garcia before making his final decision.

Team Europe Captain Luke Donald announced his picks on Sept. 1(Image: 2025 Getty Images)

Garcia had one final chance to impress during LIV Golf’s Team Championship in Michigan, but failed to change Donald’s mind. At the British Masters in August, Donald said that Garcia had been honest about his recent performances.

“Yeah, I’ve had many conversations with Sergio and we’ve talked a couple times,” Donald told GolfMagic. “Sergio’s form since Augusta, he said it at the PGA, ‘Even if he gave me a pick, I probably wouldn’t take it. I’m not playing well enough.’

“It’s improved a little bit, but I think, you know, what he brings in terms of his Ryder Cup pedigree is one thing, but his form would need to show a little bit more improvement, especially this following week.”