Sergio Garcia wonders if playing for LIV Golf will affect his Hall of Fame chances

LOS ANGELES — The next ballot for the World Golf Hall of Fame will include three players born in 1980, all major champions with remarkably similar records in global golf. One of them is Sergio Garcia, who suspects he will be looked upon differently from Adam Scott and Justin Rose.

Garcia was asked who among those three would be considered the leading candidate to be elected for the 2026 class of inductees.

“I went to LIV, so I’m probably a little behind,” Garcia said with a laugh. “Even though things are settling down.”

He thought for a few minutes about the trio and settled on Scott before adding, “If I didn’t go to LIV and everything that happened, probably me.”

That’s hard to dispute, and a case could be made for each.

Garcia has 31 wins around the world, including the 2017 Masters in a playoff over Rose and The Players Championship. He also holds the Ryder Cup record for most points at 28.5, going 3-1 in the last Ryder Cup — his final Ryder Cup — at Whistling Straits.

Scott has 29 worldwide wins including a playoff win at the Masters. He also won The Players and two World Golf Championships, and he reached No. 1 in the world ranking for 11 weeks. Rose won his major in the U.S. Open at Merion, won a pair of World Golf Championships and was No. 1 for 13 weeks.

The Hall of Fame committee that votes on finalists includes PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and European tour CEO Keith Pelley, along with the leadership from Augusta National, PGA of America, the USGA and the R&A.

This won’t be on the table until 2025, and there’s no telling what golf will look like then.

Scott was asked who he thought would be most appealing of the three and said, “The next one to win a major.” For Garcia, who made it through 36-hole qualifying and then made the cut at the U.S. Open, that might be what it takes.