LIV Golfer Sergio Garcia Receives Invite To PGA Championship

Sergio Garcia has received an invite to play in this year’s PGA Championship.

The LIV Golf star’s participation in the second Major of the year was confirmed on social media by the big-money League’s official account.

Confirmation of Garcia’s appearance at the event, which will take place at Quail Hollow between 15 and 18 May, means he will make his first start on it since the 2022 tournament at Southern Hills, where he missed the cut.

The 2017 Masters champion failed to qualify for the 2023 tournament after falling down the world rankings following his move to LIV Golf the previous year. While the PGA Championship does not have an official qualification criteria based on world ranking, players in the top 100 the week before the event are typically invited.

Garcia was 189^th in the rankings the week before the 2023 tournament, and his failure to receive an invite meant his run of qualifying for every Major since 1999 was brought to an end. He then also missed The Open in July 2023, before again missing both Majors last year.

Garcia is still well below the top 100 in the world rankings, at 461^st, although it is not unheard of for the PGA of America to invite others to appear. For example, in 2024, another LIV Golf star, Joaquin Niemann, received an invite despite not being eligible via the official qualifying criteria.

Few would disagree that Garcia is worthy of his place in the 156-player field given his excellent form over the last year. He finished third in the LIV Golf individual standings for 2024, helped by his maiden victory in the League at Andalucia.

Garcia also finished T12 at the US Open at Pinehurst No.2 – a Major he participated in as one of four alternates added to the field to complete the line-up.

Last year, the 45-year-old also rejoined the DP World Tour as he bids to qualify for the European Ryder Cup team.

Garcia’s first Major of the year will be at The Masters, where he has a lifetime exemption thanks to his victory at Augusta National eight years ago. When he tees it up at the PGA Championship the following month, he will be hoping to arrest a run of seven successive missed cuts at the event that began in 2016.

Garcia has come close to winning the title several times over the years, most notably with runner-up finishes in his maiden appearance in 1999 and again in 2008.