The Round Table: Sergio, Tom Kim and my best golf experience this year

Each week, we ask our panel of writers, PGA members and golf industry experts to weigh in with their views on the hot topics of the day.

Sergio Garcia has asked a court for clarity on his LIV Golf contract. He’d like to end it so he can play on another Tour. At 46 years of age and his best years behind him, he would seem to have limited options. Garcia does own a green jacket and an enviable Ryder Cup record. Should we be excited about seeing him on the PGA Tour again? 

Jim Deeks, Fairways Magazine (@jimdeeks): Personally, I wouldn’t be excited to see Sergio anywhere… even in the next booth at Denny’s.  I have no sympathy for his situation.  He’s made few friends or admirers in his career, he was arrogant, petulant, immature, and rude, a bad sport and a terrible role model.  If he hopes to play on the PGA Tour again, let him try to qualify like every other hopeful.  I doubt he’d make it, and no one would care.

Craig Loughry, Golf Ontario (@craigloughry): I’d be mildly in seeing Sergio return, he’s probably good enough to be in the 100-125 category. Sergio Garcia has a remarkable Ryder Cup record, and a competitive fire that few can match. At 46, and shape of his game, he’s not likely to win again, it would tee him up for the Champions Tour though. If he returns, it would create some intrigue and some events. Nostalgia alone doesn’t guarantee relevance.

Michael Schurman, Master Professional / Hall of Fame Member, PGA of Canada: I lost interest in Sergio a long time ago. His swing is outstanding. His shot-making is incredible, but in every instance, I find myself cheering for his competitors. I don’t care one way or the other whether he plays or not.

Hall Quinn, Freelance Writer, Vancouver: Recall a petulant, self-absorbed, shockingly immature Sergio. That was last week before the 46-yr-old filed this court case. In his native tongue, his is a classic case of arresto de desarrollo (arrested development). What Tour would want him? Can’t think of one.

Peter Mumford, Fairways Magazine: Maybe if he served a one-year suspension for each time he spit in a cup, abused an official, hacked up a bunker or tore up a green, he might be eligible to come back when he’s in his late 70’s. He had some nasty things to say about the PGA Tour on his way out the door. Can’t imagine there’s a huge push to see him on Tour again.

Last week, Tom Kim won the Gold Medal at the Asian Games. The victory means that Kim, 24, will not have to interrupt his PGA Tour career to serve 18 months of mandatory military training in his home country of Soth Korea. It’s hard enough to win any professional event but to win one that has such an impact on your life and career is incredible. What are your thoughts on Kim’s achievement?

Deeks: Good for him!  He’s an agreeable young man with plenty of talent, and I look forward to seeing more of him on Tour.  I’m sure the South Korean military can get along without him just fine.

Loughry: What Tom Kim accomplished is extraordinary. I’ve been following this story for a while and was pulling for him. Winning any professional event is difficult, but winning with so much riding on the outcome is a different level of pressure. The reality is that 18 months away from the PGA Tour during your prime years can have a significant impact on a career. To perform under that spotlight and secure both a gold medal and his competitive future speaks volumes about his talent and mental toughness. It’s easy to focus on the military exemption, but we shouldn’t overlook the achievement itself. He won when the stakes were arguably higher than any regular tour event.

Schurman: One of the failings of the golf telecasts is following the importance of individual players and specific shots. The TOUR refuses to connect the gravity of any situation to prize money. Every week, someone makes a shot or a putt to keep their ‘card’, make the ‘cut’, finish high enough to earn points to qualify for something. Kim managed to do something very demanding. Nothing about golf is easy, particularly the part when you have to perform right now.

Quinn: Have stood at the DMZ dividing line staring into N. Korea and the guys staring back, much better armed than me. Terrible situation that’s hard to fathom when walking in the bright lights of Seoul. Good on Kim; too bad for all the guys who have to do their year and a half, worse for all those lifers on the other side of that arbitrary line.

Mumford: That’s brilliant! To win with so much on the line is amazing. I can’t think of another situation where a win was so much more than just a win.

The golf season isn’t quite over yet, but what was your best golf experience in 2026?

Deeks: I’ve played well over 100 rounds this season.  My goal was to shoot my age or better, but sadly, it hasn’t happened yet.  But two rounds stand out for me: playing Credit Valley for the very first time, last week (absolutely loved it!) … and playing a few weeks ago with fellow members of the Round Table at Mad River in Creemore (a finer bunch of gentlemen you will never meet!)

Loughry: My best golf experience of 2026 wasn’t defined by a scorecard. It was seeing the continued growth and energy around golf in Ontario, particularly through off-course and simulator golf. Traditional golf remains the foundation of our sport, but the growth of indoor golf is creating a new pathway into the game for many others. When we introduce more people to golf and keep them engaged, that’s a win. Ultimately, growing the game is every bit as satisfying as playing it (and I do love to play it).

Schurman: My summer has been a nightmare for golf. However, two things thrilled me. First, the results of my PET Scan came back negative. Second, my very good friend, Phil Hardy and I won our Group in the PGA of Ontario Reunion Match Play Championship. We were helped by another good friend, Harry Allard who filled in for me during my radiation treatments.

Quinn: It was a beautiful sun-drenched July afternoon — hot for Vancouver at 78F. The driver swing was a thing of beauty, worthy of the guy honoured by the player’s I Love Rory tee-shirt. The bright white Callaway flew dead straight, landed just short of the apron, and bounded over that green 72 yards away. Shot of the year by my 3 1/2-year-old grandson.

Mumford: Playing with my son and two of my grandsons is always a treat but this year, the 15-year-old was driving it past me, much as his dad did at 15. I can still out-drive the 12-year-old though … barely.