With both the European and American teams having now been confirmed for this year’s Ryder Cup, some players from the European side are set to fine-tune their games at the Irish Open this week ahead of the event in New York later this month.
The Irish duo of Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy will both feature in their national open, while Tyrell Hatton will also be part of the field.
One player that we won’t see at the K Club is Sergio Garcia. The Spaniard had originally committed to the Irish Open this year, although he has now decided the pull out.
His reasoning for doing so has resulted in quite a bit of criticism.
READ ALSO: Rory McIlroy Absence Explained As Lowry And Rose Join Tommy Fleetwood Celebrations At East Lake
READ ALSO: Keegan Bradley Had Salty Response To Rory McIlroy Call-Out After Dubious Ryder Cup Pick
Sergio Garcia Criticised Over Reason Behind Irish Open Withdrawal
With Luke Donald having made his six captain’s picks for the European Ryder Cup team earlier this week, it is fair to say that his selections went as expected. He selected six players who featured in the 2023 edition of the event, with automatic qualifier Rasmus Hojgaard the only change to that winning team from Rome.
However, it seems that Sergio Garcia was rather shocked by his picks.
Speaking to GolfMagic, the 45-year old expressed his disappointment at missing out on the event. He also said that his Ryder Cup snub was behind his late withdrawal from the Irish Open:
I felt like I was so looking forward to being a part of that team, and so I felt like mentally, it was kind of tough.
I didn’t want to go there and not be fully engaged in the tournament and stuff, so I just decided to take a little bit of time off and spend it with the family. Do a couple of things outside of golf and just kind of reboot a little bit, recharge the batteries.
Interestingly, Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed, two other LIV players who missed out on selection for the Ryder Cup, have remained in the field for the Irish Open.
Sergio Garcia is the most prolific Ryder Cup player of all-time, featuring on ten consecutive occasions from 1999-2021. He has also won more points in the event that any other golfer.
Recommended
He was not selected for the team in 2023, a time when he was coming under heavy criticism for his decision to join LIV Golf. Not many golf fans expected him to make the cut on this occasion either, with the Spaniard having displayed some mixed form on the Saudi-backed tour in 2025.
With that in mind, it seems rather bizarre that he has taken the snub from Luke Donald as such a slight.
Instead of showing up in Kildare this week, he instead was spotted in New York watching his compatriot Carlos Alcarez at the US Open. The pair are even set to play a round of gold together at some stage today.
🚨🏌️🎾 #WATCH — Carlos Alcaraz will play golf with Sergio Garcia tomorrow and says he needs 10 to 15 strokes to make it fair.
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) September 2, 2025
At least he will probably come out on top in that matchup.
In all, Sergio Garcia would take quite a bit of criticism over his decision to pull out of the Irish Open.
I see 45-y-o world #411 Sergio Garcia, has gone public with yet another display of petulance. This time over his #RyderCup non-selection. Ridiculous! Maybe he coulda been a contender, but chose $$$ at #LIVGolf instead. Own your life decisions, you infantile irrelevance!!
— Mike Miller (@SmartGolfInfo) September 2, 2025
The same Sergio Garcia that pulled out of the Irish Open because he wasn’t selected for the Ryder Cup and wasn’t mentally prepared for it. Sounds like sour grapes!!
— Alan Thornton (@Speedy1904) September 2, 2025
there are 3 LIV golfers in the Ryder Cup. Both Hatton and DeChambeau qualified on points. Rahm was a captain’s pick. Rahm was #1 in LIV standings. Garcia was #9 in LIV standings. Sergio is a clown if he actually thought he had a chance.I’m surprised Luke Donald even called him
— SamuelFiveOne (@BlackVelvetJWM) September 3, 2025
Sergio Garcia, who has not played well this year, will not play in the Ryder Cup https://t.co/aChn1t3Zy0
— Foggy (@foggyjb) September 2, 2025
How out of touch does Sergio Garcia have to be to think he had a shot at the Ryder Cup? https://t.co/kDThE8SP9i
— Len Hochberg ⛳ (@LenHochberg) September 2, 2025
The Irish Open will kick off at the K Club on Thursday, with the events Pro Am taking place on Wednesday.
While golf fans will catch a glimpse of some world class players at the tournament, Sergio Garcia will not be one of them.