Sergio Garcia recently had dinner with Luke Donald, and yes — they did talk about his chances of joining the Ryder Cup team.

The decision to include, or not include, Sergio Garcia on this year’s European Ryder Cup team isn’t likely to boil down to last week’s BMW International Open in Germany. Sure, the man who’ll ultimately make that decision, Euro captain Luke Donald, was in the DP World Tour field in Munich. As was Garcia, who missed the cut. It was an ideal time to play well but hardly a defining result.

As it stands, Garcia, Europe’s all-time points leader in the matches, will need to lean on Donald for one of six captain’s picks to make it to Bethpage as the 45-year-old Spaniard sits 174th on the European team standings.

Once the beating heart of the European team, Garcia hasn’t given up on a record-equalling 11th appearance.

Well, my hopes are to be there,” he told Golf Digest on Wednesday at LIV Golf Andalucia. “I know that I’m part of the equation. So that’s good to know. But I also know that that I need to keep improving my game and keep playing better to make sure that Luke and his vice captains have a good weight behind the decision if they want to take me. So that’s all I can do.”

It’s not all Garcia could have done. Last week, he made a point of personally meeting up with Donald, who is running it back after steering the Europeans to an emotional home victory at Rome’s Marco Simone in 2023.

“Yeah, we had dinner,” Garcia said.

When asked if Luke Donald gave him a motivational speech — something along the lines of “Go out there and give me a reason to pick you” — Sergio Garcia admitted that while it wasn’t said quite that directly, the message was definitely there.

“He basically told me he just wants to see me playing the way I was before the 2025 Masters — consistent and sharp,” Garcia said. “I told him that’s exactly what I’m working on. I said, ‘I’ll be ready. I’ll be there if you need me.’ That’s all I can do. So, we’ll see.”

Donald’s comments came after watching Garcia hit a solid streak earlier this year. Garcia had a fourth-place finish at the International Series Macau on the Asian Tour, followed by a win at LIV Golf Hong Kong, and a third-place finish at LIV Golf Miami just ahead of the Masters. Clearly, Donald has been tracking his performances closely across tours.

That consistency paid off: Garcia earned a spot in next week’s British Open at Royal Portrush thanks to a new qualification path via the LIV Golf individual points standings. He was the highest-ranked LIV player not already exempt, under new criteria introduced by the R&A in February.

As for whether he feels added pressure heading into Royal Portrush — which might be his last shot at earning Ryder Cup or world ranking points before automatic qualifiers are locked in and Donald makes his captain’s picks — Garcia said the motivation is always there.

“No, it doesn’t change for any tournament,” he said. “I’m always highly motivated.”

So, maybe not pressure — but definitely some added incentive.