Whether he intended to or not, Eddie Pepperell has become the spokesperson for the members of the DP World Tour who are concerned about how the European circuit will handle the reintegration of certain LIV Golf players in 2027.

A number of now former LIV Golf players have confirmed that they will be leaving after the league filed for bankruptcy in September. With the door to the PGA Tour currently closed, that means that many will find themselves on the DP World Tour next year.

Having Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton playing regularly next year will undoubtedly help the DP World Tour. However, there has been some frustration expressed over the treatment of others.

Sergio Garcia produced a baffling statement as he confirmed his plans to return to the European Tour in 2027. The Spaniard did not mention LIV once, while Garcia did not apologise for his previous actions in which he had been incredibly critical of the tour he started his career on.

Eddie Pepperell criticises Sergio Garcia following his statement about the DP World Tour

Pepperell was dismissive of the statement on social media. And he has now explained on the Sliced podcast why he should not have been at all surprised by Garcia’s behaviour.

“I am not sure these people have it within them. I don’t think they are capable of apologising. I don’t think they feel they have anything to apologise for. I think therein lies the message and the lesson, certainly as applies to Sergio,” he said.

“There is an incredible amount of entitlement that surrounds that individual. That might sound like a very harsh thing to say about somebody, but I think there is so much incontrovertible evidence that is his personality.

“It saddens me to say that. I wrote about him and he has always been my favourite player. It has taken me a long time to accept this is Sergio Garcia the person.

“I would say on the back of that, however, that there is time. We can all evolve. He’s still not really an old person, he is relatively young and I just wish that he would.

“I did not find that statement at all endearing. In fact I don’t think he wrote it, I think he instructed somebody around him to come up with something and put it out there. That was a miscalculation in and of itself.

“As it relates to him coming back and playing on the DP World Tour. I don’t have a huge issue. He has cleared his fines. He is eligible to play via the legends category, which is category 11, which will be a burgeoning category next year and there will be quite a few folks playing in that.

“The issue I have in the returning players are the Charles Howells and some of the other names that are going to be entirely reliant on invites. That is my position and most members of the Tour would share.

“But in regards to Sergio, I can see the value he brings. If I was to play golf with Sergio tomorrow I would still be watching in admiration but it would be done somewhat ruefully, I am afraid.”

The signs those leaving LIV Golf are struggling to reconnect with reality

There was a strange atmosphere around so many of the LIV Golf players over the last five years.

While the initial press conferences were awkward – with players struggling to justify their decision to play for a league funded by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia – there have been very few instances where those on LIV have faced difficult questions.

Everyone on LIV pulled together to try and make the league a success. However, they made the mistake of dismissing all genuine criticism and acting as though everyone on the outside simply had an agenda.

Perhaps that helps explain why Garcia believes that he can put out such a tone-deaf statement. Perhaps he really does believe that the circumstances of his departure from the DP World Tour in 2022 no longer matter.

Those who now decide to leave LIV would surely be wise to look at the reaction to Garcia’s comments and see the best thing they can do is get their head down and prove on the course why they would be an asset to whatever tour they play on next.