The prospects for future European Ryder Cup teams took a hit on both the player and captain side this week.
For a player or captain to be eligible to represent Europe, they must be a DP World Tour member. Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood resigned their memberships on Wednesday, and while all three may have been fringe players for the 2023 event in Italy, the trio were sure-fire future captains given their respective history at the biennial bash against the Americans.
Garcia leads the European side in total points scored (28.5) and boasts an impressive 25-13-7 record, while Westwood is the most capped player with 11 appearances and is tied for the third-most points scored (24) with Bernhard Langer. Poulter has been a chest-thumping thorn in the Americans’ side with his 15–8–2 record, 6-0-1 in singles.
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While a player who has resigned membership could hypothetically request to rejoin the tour the following year if they still remain eligible in terms of an exempt category, each individual case would vary and be subject to any further sanctions which may be imposed for subsequent breaches of the Conflicting Tournament Regulation, as alluded to in a DP World Tour statement this week.
With players who made the move to LIV Golf seemingly out of the picture for the near future, here’s a look at some potential future European Ryder Cup captains, including a few new names and some old blood.