US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick says he would welcome the inclusion of Sergio Garcia in Europe’s Ryder Cup team despite the Spaniard switching to the LIV Golf Tour.
Europe’s preparations for the 2023 tournament in Rome were badly disrupted by the US PGA Tour’s refusal to recognize the LIV Golf Tour.
Henrik Stenson was stripped of the European captaincy in July after joining LIV Golf and it remains to be seen whether his replacement Luke Donald selects wild card players who made the switch.
As such, Ryder Cup veterans like Garcia, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood are among those in danger of being ruled ineligible, with the United States ruling out the selection of LIV Golf players for their team.
But Fitzpatrick sees no problem in selecting the likes of Garcia, who is Europe’s all-time leading points scorer at the Ryder Cup with 28.5, as long as they do not enter US PGA Tour or DP World Tour (European Tour) events.
“It might be some players from other places in the world,” England’s Fitzpatrick told Sky Sports News.
“I think there are a few personal relationships that have been dented by this (feud). I’m not bothered, I just want to win and I’m sure those boys do too.
“Sergio would be the one that would stand out for me, particularly. I’m happy to share a room with him, if that’s going to be the case. I can corner him off for everyone else.
“It was a tough one because Henrik had started gearing up for Rome, making notes and putting plans together. And then it’s like, ‘sorry, lads, I’m off.’
“As long as you go and don’t come back, I don’t have an issue. Go take the money, go play wherever you want, I couldn’t care less, just don’t come back and then take spots from other guys who want to play.
“I understand that there are the likes of Westy [Westwood]Poulter and Sergio that have played a lot in Europe over the years and have done their bit, and they have.
I can’t ever knock them for that, they’ve done way more than I have for the European Tour.”
Meanwhile, world No. 2 Scottie Scheffler has committed to defend his title at the WM Phoenix Open.
Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Sam Burns were announced as part of the 2023 field at TPC Scottsdale, famous for its par-3 No. 16 stadium holes.
The Phoenix Open will serve as the second “elevated” event of the season that is part of the US PGA Tour’s initiative to raise purses for its premier events in order to keep more players from defecting to LIV Golf. This year’s Phoenix Open will have US$20mil (RM88mil) in prize money on offer.
Scheffler, 26, started a red-hot run last year by claiming his first PGA Tour title at the Phoenix Open in a playoff over Patrick Cantlay. He went on to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play in March and capped it off by winning his first major title at the US Masters in April.
Schauffele is ranked No. 6 in the world and Burns is ranked No. 13. Schauffele won three times on tour last season and Burns won twice, including beating Scheffler in a playoff at the Charles Schwab Challenge.
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