Sergio García, dressed in strict white for the Club World Cup semi-finals between Real Madrid and Paris St Germain tonight, is smiling again. Stepping onto Valderrama has lifted his spirits. Just a few days ago, he was openly saying he wasn’t ready to play in the Ryder Cup and wouldn’t accept an invitation given his level of play, but this Wednesday was quite the opposite. “If I play like I did yesterday, I will accept the invitation,” he assures.
The Borriol native has rediscovered his magic, and it wasn’t just about entering Valderrama; a fruitful conversation with Luke Donald also played a significant role. They had it last week during the BMW International Open of the DP World Tour, where they met. “I had a good conversation with Luke last week, and we both know what we want. All I can do is keep working hard, keep gaining confidence, and if I achieve that, everything should be fine. We’ll see,” he explains.
Basically, what Luke Donald told him is that his form from a few months ago (very good) or now (far from good) doesn’t matter much; what really counts is how he is in September when the European captain of the Ryder Cup makes his six picks. Essentially, Donald reminded him that he has nothing to prove to him, that he knows him well, and if he plays as he knows how, he’ll have many chances to be at Bethpage. That conversation was a first boost. The next was seeing the cork oaks of Valderrama.
Sergio is very clear that if he regains his best level, he’ll be at Bethpage. That’s more or less what Donald said. “The choice will be his. It’s up to me how I play. Obviously, if I play well, I think I have a good chance of being chosen. If I don’t, then it will depend a bit on how things are. We’ll see. It’s still early,” he states.
García has set the Ryder as his main goal this year and isn’t going to throw in the towel prematurely. Moreover, he’s not even worried about more fines from the DP World Tour. “I’ll pay what I have to pay. It is what it is. It’s not something I’m focused on. I’m focused on playing golf,” he declares.
Regarding the possibility of David Puig also having a spot on the Ryder Cup team, Sergio is very clear. “David played with the captain last week in Munich, so I think Luke had a front-row view of what David is capable of. And I’m sure—I don’t like to speak for others—but I’m sure David is on his radar. I have no doubt. In the end, there are still two, two and a half months left, and the only thing David can do, and the only thing I would tell him, is to keep playing well, keep doing what he’s doing, keep believing in himself, and whatever has to happen will happen. There are few things we can control. I think we’re in a similar situation. We can only give our best and see what happens,” he notes.
