Former LIV Golf player Laurie Canter believes the European Ryder Cup setup should do all it can to bring back Sergio Garcia if he settles his ongoing grievances with the DP World Tour.

Garcia is the most successful Ryder Cup player of all time, having won more points than any other player at the matchplay event. His relationship with Team Europe however has come to an end in recent years, after the Spaniard resigned from the DP World Tour having been sanctioned for joining LIV Golf.

This saw the former Masters champion miss last year’s Ryder Cup in Rome, and having seen his continent ease to victory, Garcia is keen to get himself into Luke Donald’s team for the 2025 event at Bethpage Black.

If he is to do so, the Fireballs captain will be required to jump through some hoops, with Garcia required to regain his DP World Tour membership. To do this he will be need to settle outstanding fines he owes his former Tour for competing in ‘conflicting’ LIV events whilst being a member.

One of his fellow LIV competitors in Canter believes if Garcia obliges, Donald and co should do everything they can to get him back in the European team. He’s played 11 Ryder Cups and he’s our record points-scorer,” the former LIV reserve told Bunkered.

“I hope we bend over backward for him when he decides to come back. Having him come to some of the events would be great. We can argue about his reputation but he’s still loved and known by lots of people around the world. The other thing that doesn’t get said enough about Sergio – the uncomfortable truth, perhaps – is how good he still is at golf.

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Sergio Garcia spoke with Luke Donald

Sergio Garcia spoke with Luke Donald ( 

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FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)

“He came third on the LIV order of merit. He could easily play more Ryder Cups. My view would be that if Sergio Garcia wants to come and play on the DP World Tour a little bit, that would be great.”

Speaking in a press conference in New York last month, captain Donald revealed he had held conversations with Garcia. “Yeah we chatted on the phone a couple of weeks ago,” Donald said of Garcia. “He is certainly very interested in doing that. He understands everything that is involved, and again, the decision has to go to him whether he is prepared to do all that, but certainly we have had that discussion yes.”

Garcia himself addressed the conversation, admitting the two sides will need to come to some sort of agreement. “If things improve a little bit with the European Tour and the things that they ask for and the things that we are asking for get close, the decision is 99 percent,” he told Golf Magic last month.

“But if they don’t make things a tiny bit easier, I’m giving up some things, but they also need to give up a few things, and if we can find that middle ground then you will see me playing a handful of European Tour events. If not, then it will be a little bit tougher, but hopefully that won’t be the case.”