What Next For Sergio Garcia After LIV Golf Exit?
Garcia is weighing up his options after he was allowed to terminate his LIV Golf contract
Sergio Garcia has been cleared to terminate his LIV Golf contract following a successful court order, meaning the Spaniard is free to consider all options on the table in 2027 and beyond.
Garcia has been allowed out of his contract following LIV's Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, as the league seeks a 'LIV 2.0' schedule featuring 10 events, a $300m backing from BC Partners and the introduction of player equity.
Which players will be competing on LIV 2.0 still remains unknown, but one of them likely won't be Garcia - who captained Fireballs GC since the tour's first event at the Centurion Club in June 2022.
While there's no guarantee he won't play LIV 2.0 just yet, the court filing suggest he is at the very least weighing up his options.
The 2017 Masters champion and Ryder Cup all-time point scorer filed the motion to terminate his LIV contract last week due to the confusion preventing him from trying to either join another tour or attract business deals while third parties are unclear if he is a free agent or not.
In particular, the court documents mentioned the uncertainty was damaging for a professional athlete and could prevent him from getting into tournaments, back on tours such as the DP World Tour and also put off sponsors.
So it begs the question as to what next for Garcia? Here are some scenarios...
DP World Tour full-time
Garcia is currently not a full-time member of the DP World Tour after his membership lapsed, but he will almost certainly rejoin in 2027 if he doesn't wish to be a part of LIV 2.0.
The window to apply will be in November following the DP World Tour Championship.
The DP World Tour is set to continue fining and sanctioning its members for playing in LIV events next year, so a dual LIV-DP World Tour schedule does not appear to be viable.
He has played four times on the circuit this season under tournament invites, teeing it up in Bahrain, Germany for the BMW International Open, Switzerland at the Omega European Masters and then the Irish Open.
He makes his fifth start this week on home soil in the Open de Espana.
Playing full-time in Europe seems the most likely scenario, which he may well supplement with select Asian Tour events where he can command appearance fees.
He has five victories in Asia, with tournament wins in Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore.
Ryder Cup return
Garcia went 3/3 with Jon Rahm at the 2021 Ryder Cup - his last appearance for Europe
If Garcia goes ahead without LIV Golf then it opens the door for a spectacular Ryder Cup return.
He is the record points scorer with 28.5 from his 10 appearances, but he hasn't played on Team Europe since Whistling Straits in 2021, when he and Jon Rahm teamed for the first time and won all three of their doubles matches.
Following his move to LIV, Garcia fell out of favor with Ryder Cup Europe, but his key reason for leaving might well be to make it back onto the team. Playing LIV 2.0 would almost certainly see him miss out, but opting to play elsewhere gives him a fighting chance.
He has rekindled his relationship with Rory McIlroy, is very close with Rahm and has historically had a friendship with Luke Donald, whom he went 4/4 in foursomes with across the 2004 and 2006 Ryder Cups.
Garcia will be 47 next September and one last great season could see him make Donald's 12.
He would need to win a tournament, make it into the Majors and play well in them, and that's a real possibility.
A PGA Tour return?
Brian Rolapp won't entertain conversations with LIV Golfers keen to return to the PGA Tour until they can prove they are no longer under contract. That now applies to Garcia.
The Spaniard didn't have the best exit from the PGA Tour in 2022, when he was seen saying 'I can't wait to leave this tour. A couple more weeks and I won't have to deal with you [the referee] anymore' during a ruling at the Wells Fargo Championship.
That remains his final start on the US circuit, and he may quietly be hoping for a return next year.
Whether that is possible remains to be seen, with LIV players accruing at least a 12-month suspension from their last tournament start on the team circuit. However, as we saw with Brooks Koepka's return this year, deals and concessions can be made.
Garcia would be able to cash-in his career money exemption, which would entitle him to one full season of membership. He is currently 20th in the PGA Tour's career earnings list with $55m.
This option seems unlikely, but stranger things have happened.
What do you think Garcia will do next? Let us know in the comments section below.
