Sergio Garcia Is A Ryder Cup Legend And Must Be Given A Wildcard For The European Team

Sergio Garcia Is A Ryder Cup Legend And Must Be Given A Wildcard For The European Team
08:00, 22 Aug 2018

Sergio Garcia has endured a tough year. The 2017 Masters champion failed to qualify for the FedEx Cup play-offs for the first time in his career following a return of eight missed cuts in eleven events on the PGA Tour in 2018 and he is sweating on his place in Thomas Bjorn's European team for the Ryder Cup.

The Spaniard looked set to go from strength-to-strength when he claimed his maiden major title at the 74th time of asking with his Masters success at Augusta last year, but he hasn't quite hit the heights since then. His last five appearances at major tournaments have seen him head home before the weekend and his form in general has been disappointing.

Victory at the Singapore Open at the start of the calendar year proved to be something of a false down as Garcia has picked up just two top-ten finishes in stroke-play events since then and his tie for 24th at last week's Wyndham Championship means he finished 128th in the race for the FedEx Cup play-offs - only the top-125 qualify.

The 38-year-old will now turn his attention towards trying to earn a place in Bjorn's team for the Ryder Cup, which takes place at Le Golf National near Paris from 28-30 September. Worryingly, the Spaniard is someway short of being near the top-eight automatic qualifying spots for the team before they are confirmed on 3rd September and it seems as if he is going to need to rely on being one of Bjorn's four wildcard picks, which are announced on 5th September.

The one result in Garcia's favour this year is his top-ten at the Open de France as the Parisian event was played at the Ryder Cup host venue, Le Golf National, and course form will always be given due consideration.

The other factor that should weigh heavily in Garcia's favour is his Ryder Cup experience. A veteran of eight Ryder Cups, he has performed with distinction when it comes to Team Europe v Team USA. He has taken 22.5 points from 37 matches (19-11-7 in terms of win-loss-halved) and only Nick Faldo, 25 points, has ever won more for the European team.

Garcia boasts a win percentage rate of 60.81% and there are few players who can match his performances when it comes to the Ryder Cup. 

At a time when Europe's most experienced performers in this format appear to be on the wane, with Lee Westwood, Graeme McDowell and Martin Kaymer falling from view, Garcia's track record will be invaluable. Bjorn is more than likely going to want to call upon experience because five of the eight players who are currently in the eight automatic qualifying spots have never appeared in a Ryder Cup before - Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm, Alex Noren and Thorbjorn Olesen are all obviously wonderful golfers but their lack of Ryder Cup experience is a concern.

Despite relatively disappointing results and his struggles with the putter during 2018, Garcia is a proven performer when it comes to the Ryder Cup and the world number 25 definitely isn't finished yet.

x
Suggested Searches:
The Sportsman
Manchester United
Liverpool
Manchester City
Premier League
Sportsman HQ
72-76 Cross St
Manchester M2 4JG
We will not ask you to provide any personal information when using The Sportsman website. You may see advertisement banners on the site, and if you choose to visit those websites, you will accept the terms and conditions and privacy policy applicable to those websites. The link below directs you to our Group Privacy Policy, and our Data Protection Officer can be contacted by email at: [email protected]

All original material is Copyright © 2019 by The Sportsman Communications Ltd.
Other material is copyright their respective owners.