A Spanish replacement for Sergio Garcia in the European Ryder Cup team has emerged, after Luke Donald once again ruled out the chance of including the 2017 Masters champion in his team.
Garcia ended all hope of making the European team later this year after resigning his DP World Tour membership alongside Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood due their LIV Golf loyalties. There was new hope that the LIV stars could be reinstated to the team after the breakaway circuit announced a shock agreement with the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.
However, it seems the logistics behind the new joint entity backed by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia are yet to be figured out, leaving Garcia and co on the sidelines.
European captain Luke Donald reiterated this point this week, after commenting: "Obviously when that announcement was made, my first question was, ‘does this affect anything I am doing and my selection process and my ability to select players?’
"To be honest, nothing has changed. We are still bound by the rules and regulations that the arbitration granted the DP World Tour a few months ago. To be eligible [for the Ryder Cup], you still have to be born in Europe and be a DP World Tour member. So, nothing has changed.”
Garcia will no doubt be a big loss for the Europeans having announced himself as the continent's top Ryder Cup player in recent years. Despite his absence though, another Spanish star appears to have found form at the right time, and has put himself into contention to make the team in Rome.
Pablo Larrazabal is the man in form, and is enjoying somewhat of resurgence despite edging towards the twilight stage of his career. The 40-year-old has two DP World Tour wins this season, and this has seen him rise of the Ryder Cup qualification standings.
At the prospect of making his European debut at the age of 40, Larrazabal is more than anywhere that skipper Donald is keeping a close eye on him as the event draws closer. He told the DP World Tour: "I know what I’ve done in the last five weeks. I know Luke Donald is having an eye on me.
"I knew he was going to choose to play with me one of these weeks, but I have had this pressure during my career. I play with pressure. I like pressure. I am going to have a bit of pressure playing with the captain but I am used to the pressure and whatever the way it goes will go.”
