Garcia has played in eight previous Ryder Cups © GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File / ROSS KINNAIRD
LONDON, United Kingdom, Sep 5 – Sergio Garcia promised to “give everything” to help Europe win back the Ryder Cup, after being given a wildcard by captain Thomas Bjorn on Wednesday despite his poor form this season.
The 38-year-old Spaniard has missed the cut at the last five major championships, and has managed only one top-10 finish since April.
But that came at Ryder Cup venue Le Golf National in the French Open, and Denmark’s Bjorn plumped for Garcia’s experience in the matchplay showdown against the United States after seeing five rookies qualify for the event automatically.
“It is very exciting for me to be part of another Ryder Cup team, and I’m going to give everything I have,” said Garcia, who has been part of five Ryder Cup-winning teams.
“(I’m) very thankful to Thomas for believing in me and, you know, I know that it probably wasn’t an easy decision.
“It’s been a tough year obviously… I’ve been working hard. I feel like my game is coming along.”
It will be Garcia’s ninth Ryder Cup appearance, having won 22.5 points since becoming the event’s youngest-ever player as a 19-year-old in 1999.
Bjorn likened Garcia’s presence in the team as that of a “football captain”.
“Everybody knows how much I love the Ryder Cup and everybody knows how much I love team sports and we’ve always really enjoyed football and all those kind of things,” said the 2017 Masters champion.
The Ryder Cup gets underway on September 28, with the United States arriving in Paris as defending champions, but looking for their first win on European soil since 1993.
