THE RYDER CUP MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 13, 2021

Sergio Garcia

Q. Why don't you tell us what it's like to get a selection for the 2020 Ryder Cup Team at Whistling Straits.

SERGIO GARCIA: Well, it's obviously amazing. It's not what you wish for because you wish to make it by yourself, so then you don't depend on being picked. That's obviously the last option. But you know, once unfortunately you don't do enough to make it by yourself, then obviously it's nice to be able to get that pick to get that confidence from the whole team from not only the captain but the vice captains and everyone that is involved.

Just obviously super excited to be a part of it again, to help the team as much as I can and just the ultimate goal is obviously as everyone knows to make sure that that Cup comes back to Europe.

Q. I wonder if you could elaborate on something that I thought I heard you say about no matter what you've accomplished individually as a Ryder Cup, you look more at the number of Cups which you guys have won, which frankly I've lost track of how many that is but I think it's a lot. What are your thoughts on that?

SERGIO GARCIA: Yes, without a doubt, I've always said it. You've followed me around for a few years now, is you know every time I'm a part of that team -- being the highest points-scorer in Ryder Cup history, that was never my goal. It's something that I never thought about because I was always focused on winning The Ryder Cup as a team. So I never thought, oh, you know, even if we lose, if I win three or 3 1/2 points, I had a great Ryder Cup. No, that doesn't do it to me.

I've always said it; I could win five matches. If we don't win The Ryder Cup, it's not a good Ryder Cup for me. I can't -- you know, I'm not one of those guys that would look at the individual stats over the team stats on that particular week. It's not the way my brain works and probably is one of the reasons why I've been fortunate to be a part of so many teams and do so well in it.

Q. And secondly, if you don't mind one more, just the fact that Europe has won I think nine of the last 12 of these, do you get any sense that the Americans realize that Europe is kind of the team to beat and has been for many years?

SERGIO GARCIA: Well, I mean, we've obviously had a great run. I'm not going to lie to you. I mean, you're smart enough to know that that's the truth, and I'm not going to deny that.

But at the same time, you know, if you look overall, I think we're still behind. So we're still catching up. We still have some catching up to do, and that's a goal to try to tilt the balance to our favour when it comes in the global score of The Ryder Cup.

I think it shows what we have been able to achieve as a team in the last few years, knowing that we need to be that strong a team if we are going to have a chance of winning the American Team, which is always super strong team, and this year is no different. So we know that if we don't do that, we don't even have a chance. So for us to have a chance, we need to bond as a team stronger than you can even imagine.

Q. Two rookies on the team, obviously Shane and Viktor and I'm sure you know both of them reasonably well.

SERGIO GARCIA: And Bernd, don't forget Bernd.

Q. Sorry, apologize. And obviously I'm sure you know from the two lads playing on the PGA TOUR, I'm sure you know Shane and Viktor well, Bernd possibly not so much. But can you give me your thoughts on all three and maybe starting with Shane?

SERGIO GARCIA: Yeah, well, first of all, I'm going to start with Bernd because funny enough, Bernd is one of my best friend on Tour, so I know a lot about him and we text each other. As soon as he made it, I texted him congratulating him making the team because I know how much it meant to him, and I'm really excited for him because he's been very close for many years to be able to make that team, and for him to finally do it, I know it means so much to him. I'm thrilled for him.

Then obviously Viktor is probably the one I know the least but I've gotten to know him quite well in the last couple of years on the PGA TOUR mainly. He's a wonderful guy. Great player obviously. I've been able to play with him a few round. He's a hell of a player. We are extremely excited to have him on the team. I think he's going to be a great asset to us.

And then Shane, I also get along very well with him. He's been on tour for many years now and he's had a couple chances making The Ryder Cup Team before and he's done it this year. He deserves it. He's been in the team pretty much since the beginning and unfortunately got kicked out the last week. I know how hard that must be.

But you know, he's going to bring a lot to the team, too. He's been playing great. He's a fun guy to be around. So I think he's going to match up nicely with some of the guys we have on the team. I can speak for myself and I can speak for everyone; that we are all thrilled with the three rookies we have on the team.

Q. The Americans have twice as many rookies on their team this year. How do you think that's going to work out? Do you think that's going to be an advantage or a disadvantage for them?

SERGIO GARCIA: It's difficult to say. I think that at the end of the day, when come Sunday night, Sunday evening on the 26th, we'll know how that worked for them. Hopefully it will work out better for us than it will work for them.

But you know, I can see what they are trying to do. I can see that they need new energy in there. They need new experiences. So I see why Captain Stricker went that way.

It's always a double-edged sword I guess. It's nice to have a lot of rookies on the team because you have a lot of energy and a lot of new faces, but at the same time there's a lot of pressure you know they are going to feel, even playing at home.

It's going to be interesting to see how they all react to what comes to them.

Q. You've played under a lot of Ryder Cup Captains including your own Jos� Maria. What do you like about P�draig being Ryder Cup Captain now and what do you admire to him as a player and what did you enjoy listening to when you listened to P�draig speak? What jumped out at you that you really loved to hear?

SERGIO GARCIA: I think P�draig brings a lot of good things to it. Obviously as we get to Whistling Straits and see what he has prepared with his team and how the week evolves and everything, you get a better feel for it. But he's going to bring a lot of energy. He's going to bring a lot of experience, a lot of excitement on the team, a lot of knowledge. So all those things are great to have and you know, he brings that to the team because he's been a part of it for many years.

So I'm excited to be a part of his team. I'm excited to see all the amazing things that they probably have prepared for us to make us feel as comfortable as possible and really, really enjoy what goes in and out of a Ryder Cup, but like I said, as the week goes on, we will be able to get a better feel of that, too.

Q. You probably heard that question I asked of Poults about the fact that you're going to not have many Europeans over there supporting you. I'm not too sure if Angela and the family are going with you. Can it be like the Solheim Cup, being in that bubble, can that bubble help the European Team when you get to Whistling Straits in some way?

SERGIO GARCIA: Angela and her family and some friends are going definitely going to come and cheer for us.

Q. Good news.

SERGIO GARCIA: Yeah, so that's great. But I look at it a couple different ways. I think, don't get me wrong, there's nothing better than having European fans. I don't care what anyone says. You can say, oh, yeah, the bubble this, the bubble that. There's nothing better than feeling the energy of your own crowds.

And obviously when we're in the US, we are always out-numbered when it comes down to that. But this year is going to be even more. So the way you look at it, you can look at it two ways. So you know, it's going to be -- you can feed off the energy that their crowd is going to have, and also you can feed off your good moments how they will get quiet and how you can quiet their crowds. I think that's going to be important and it's going to be important for everyone to know that when the course is quiet, this is a good thing for Europe.

We have to make sure that all the guys and mostly the rookies and stuff, they know that, and they can feed off that silence if it makes any sense.