Sergio Garcia's Ryder Cup legacy looks set to come to an anti-climatic end after he quit midway through the BMW PGA Championship.
The Spaniard, who has joined the breakaway LIV Golf circuit, withdrew from the DP World Tour event last month without an official reason and was seen attending a college football game in Texas days later.
He has since been fined an undisclosed amount for his withdrawal at Wentworth following an opening score of 76, after failing to provide evidence of any medical or emergency reasons.
As things stand, only DP World Tour members are eligible for Ryder Cup selection and Garcia has now not played in the required number of competitions this season to retain his status.
Garcia could yet be invited to compete in competitions before the end of the season but that appears unlikely amid the ongoing war between the Tour and LIV Golf - and it could mean the most stellar career in Ryder Cup history is over.
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.
He became the all-time leading scorer in 2018 and also boasts the most wins out of any other player in history after his success last year at Whistling Straits, despite it being an event to forget for Europe.
There had been hopes he would feature in Italy in 2023 but that now appears to be off the cards for the 42-year-old.
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, not only personally but also a twist on the game.
"I think it's working when you look at the demographic [of fans] around the course; it's a lot younger. Obviously, this is a new step. It’s something exciting and new. It feels like the future of golf and it’s nice to be a part of it.”
