Sergio Garcia ‘failed in a desperate last-ditch attempt to play in the Ryder Cup’ with the LIV star ‘offering to pay £700,000 in fines to the DP World Tour’ after resigning his membership last year

Sergio Garcia, Team Europe’s all-time leading Ryder Cup points scorer, has reportedly been ‘denied a desperate last-ditch effort’ to play in the showdown in Italy later this month.

Luke Donald completed his Ryder Cup squad two weeks ago, with Justin Rose returning to the European squad for the first time in five years alongside Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry, all selected as captain’s choice.

But there was no room in the squad for LIV golfers, who had been fined and suspended from playing on the DP World Tour following the rise of the Saudi-backed golf league.

Garcia, along with European Tour stalwarts Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter, had canceled their membership of the competition earlier this year, ending any hopes of competing in the tournament in Rome.

Following golf’s shock merger, questions were raised over whether the trio would be eligible to compete at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club at the end of September. But those hopes were dashed by DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley, who reaffirmed in June that LIV golfers were “still ineligible to play” at the Ryder Cup.

It comes as Luke Donald (pictured) has already prepared his team to play in the upcoming showdown in Rome

Garcia (pictured) canceled his membership of the DP World Tour earlier this year and was subsequently fined £100,000 and suspended by the Tour he has won 16 times in his career

But now, according to the TelegraphGarcia has made a stunning turnaround in an attempt to play in the biennial tournament, with the outlet claiming he made a “desperate last-ditch effort to play in the Ryder Cup, offering to pay the DP World Tour the outstanding amount to be paid’ fines owed by LIV Golfers.’

It came after the Tour won a landmark legal battle against the LIV Golf rebels in April, with a sports arbitration panel ordering the European Tour defectors to pay a £100,000 fine each.

The Telegraph claims Garcia, who had refused to pay his fine, was ‘rejected by the DP World Tour’ for his late attempt to play in Rome, with the Tour saying ‘there was no turning back in time for the match in Rome. ‘

A source close to the DP World Tour reportedly told the Telegraph: “They suddenly came to us and said he would not only pay the £100,000 but also any outstanding fines if he was allowed to play,” said the source, who estimated the full bill is well over £700,000.

“They also said they would play in any events we wanted, except those that clashed with the remaining LIV tournaments.

“But it was explained that despite the ongoing peace talks, he will not be eligible for membership until next year as he has canceled his membership.

‘It was all a bit bizarre because that was made clear all the time. As it stands, Sergio remains the only one of the LIV players not to have paid the original £100,000 fine. Lee Westwood has paid, Ian Poulter has paid… but Sergio still hasn’t.’

Garcia had offered to pay £700,000 in fines to secure his place in Luke Donald’s side

But he is ineligible to play, missing the tournament for only the second time since 1999, after Keith Pelley reaffirmed that defectors would not be eligible to play in Rome even after golf’s shock merger .

Garcia (left) is the European Tour’s all-time leading scorer at the Ryder Cup after surpassing Nick Faldo in 2021 by winning all three of his matches at Whistling Straits

Mail Sport understands the 2017 Masters champion is hopeful of one day captaining a Ryder Cup team after the sensational merger opened the doors to a possible reintegration into the European Tour.

Garcia, who has sixteen career victories on the DP World Tour and eleven on the PGA Tour, has been a member of every European Ryder Cup team since 1999, aside from 2010, with a record of 25-13-7, making him the team helped win six times.

In 2021, he surpassed Sir Nick Faldo to become the player with the most individual match wins, 25, after winning three of his four matches at Whistling Straits.

But he will not feature in Rome, with Pelley stating earlier this year: ‘There have been several suggestions that with the joint commitment to end further litigation between the parties, this will also mean that our sanctions against players who have breached our regulations will be abolished’. DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley wrote Wednesday in a memo to players obtained by ESPN.

‘That is not the case. The previously imposed suspensions and fines remain in effect.”