Sergio Garcia insists he does not "feel welcome" with Team Europe members after pulling the plug on any chances of featuring in the 2023 Ryder Cup.
Garcia is regarded by many as the finest Ryder Cup player of all time, featuring in 10 competitions and holding the record for the highest points scorer in history.
But the LIV Golf rebel ended any chance of featuring in Italy having failed to play in the required number of competitions to retain his DP World Tour status - withdrawing midway through the BMW PGA Championship recently.
He opted against entering the Mallorca Open and has now explained his decision, with a number of European stars vocal in their criticism of the Saudi-based LIV circuit.
“It was a hard decision but unfortunately it doesn’t feel like I’m very welcome there, so I don’t want to be a bother to anyone," Garcia told Sports Illustrated.
“I’ve always said I love the Ryder Cup too much. I obviously would love to keep being a part of it. But when I see that so many people are against me playing … if the team is better without me, I’d rather be out of it.
“There’s obviously several guys who feel strongly that way. The Tour is on that same thought. So I don’t want to be something that might hurt the team. Obviously it’s sad for me, how much I love the Ryder Cup and everything I’ve been able to do with Europe. That’s the way they want it. I’m just helping out.”
Garcia made his Ryder Cup debut aged 19 in 1999 - becoming the competition's youngest-ever player - and has featured in a further nine European teams.
Garcia's switch to LIV Golf is seen as one of the most high-profile with the Spaniard once regarded as the face of European golf.
He recently said: “It’s been great; every time I look at my decision of joining LIV it confirms that I'm very happy with everything we're doing. It feels like the future of golf and it’s nice to be a part of it.”
