Sergio García will not be captain of the Ryder Cup in 2031 at Camiral Golf, as recently proposed by Jon Rahm with the best of intentions. He will not be in Spain or anywhere else. Not because he won’t be offered or because he doesn’t want to at a certain time, simply because he can’t. At least, not while the current DP World Tour regulations established in 2017, which expressly prohibit it, remain unchanged. This has been confirmed to Ten Golf by sources from the European Tour.
Specifically, the measure was introduced during the Paris Ryder Cup cycle in 2017. The regulation states the following: “Players cannot be Captain or Vice-Captain of the European Ryder Cup team if they relinquish their membership of the European Tour or do not meet their minimum tournament obligation in any season.” As we say, it was announced in 2017 and came into effect in 2018, so it has nothing to do with the LIV Golf issue, a tour that came into our lives much later.
Obviously, this regulation not only affects Sergio García but also all those players who ceased to be members of the DP World Tour to avoid paying fines imposed for their participation in LIV Golf tournaments without the circuit’s pertinent permission. That is, in the same situation as Sergio are players like Martin Kaymer, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, or Graeme McDowell, to cite the most relevant examples.
In this regard, another clarification. Sergio could no longer be captain or vice-captain of the Ryder from the moment he relinquished his membership of the European Tour back in 2022. That is, the fact that this year he has not met the minimum tournaments and, therefore, loses his membership for 2026 is an addition, not something definitive. He already had the impossibility of being captain due to his decision in 2022.
Thus, meeting the minimum tournaments of the DP World Tour is more important than it might seem at first glance, unless for some reason the circuit releases you from that obligation, as happened last year, for example, with Viktor Hovland. In any case, it must be justified in some way and the Tour must accept those explanations.
We insist, Sergio García will not be able to be captain of the Ryder Cup, or vice-captain, while that DP World Tour regulation in force since 2018 does not change. The only possibility is for a change in the regulation or an amnesty to be granted. For now, both things are unlikely, although you never know what the future holds.
