6 days ago
Sergio Garcia: I would love to be Europe's Ryder Cup captain
Sergio García has confirmed his interest in becoming Europe's Ryder Cup captain after being backed by Jon Rahm to lead the side in Spain.
Rahm named García on Wednesday as the ideal candidate to captain Europe when the contest against the United States returns to Spain in 2031 for the first time in 34 years.
García, Europe's record Ryder Cup points scorer, wants the job at some point and the hosting of the event by the Camiral Resort in Girona appears to be the perfect fit.
'Yes, I would love to be a Ryder Cup captain. I don't know when because you never know what might happen,' García said.
'Obviously Spain is a possibility but I don't want to get ahead of myself or anything like that until the right time comes. It's still six years away and you never know where you're going to be at that time in your life or health-wise. But the Ryder Cup means so much to me and to be able to host another Ryder Cup in Spain is a tremendous honour.
'The Ryder Cup always has this special flavour, no matter where it is but obviously when it's in your home country, it's even sweeter. It's great news and I know that everyone is very, very excited.'
The last time the event was staged in Spain — at Valderrama in 1997 — it was another Spanish legend in Seve Ballesteros who captained Europe to victory. Rahm believes the timing would be ideal for García, who will be 51 in 2031, to emulate his golfing hero.
'It's very hard to compare anybody to Seve, and I've only heard stories about what that Ryder Cup was like, but I think that it's a very obvious good choice to have Sergio be a part of this one,' Rahm said. 'There's something to say about having a local captain. I think it would do wonders for the crowd.'
The complication is that García, who is preparing for Friday's LIV Golf event at the JCB Club in Staffordshire, remains part of the Saudi-backed circuit.
When Henrik Stenson was appointed as Europe's captain for the last Ryder Cup in Rome he was subsequently stripped of the role over his LIV links. The DP World Tour, which makes the appointment, then ruled that players who had resigned their membership to switch to LIV had rendered themselves ineligible for future captaincy.
However with a thawing of tensions — albeit no final peace accord between golf's rival factions — García is hopeful their stance will soften.
'The LIV guys were never against doing those roles. We just got put in a position where we couldn't,' he said. 'We weren't allowed and that was obviously very sad for Henrik and a few possible captains that are here. That's obviously much better now and I'm sure will keep getting better as time goes by.'
The Bethpage Black course in New York will host this year's Ryder Cup in September, before Adare Manor in Co Limerick hosts the 2027 event.
