Sergio Garcia: PGA Tour player asks for release to play in Greg Norman LIV Golf event

Garcia has won 36 tournaments including the 2017 Masters

Sergio Garcia has asked to be released to play in Greg Norman's Saudi-funded LIV Golf Invitational series opener in June, according to reports.

On Thursday, Garcia hinted during play at the Wells Fargo Championship that he was going to participate in the event.

"I can't wait to leave this tour," he said after a fractious ruling, which was later overturned, went against him.

"I can't wait to get out of here, my friend. A couple of more weeks and I won't have to deal with you any more."

A rules official had deemed that Garcia exceeded the three-minute time limit to find his ball and he was forced to take a penalty drop. That decision was later overturned because it did not account for the time Garcia spent crossing a stream to find his ball.

However, because the 42-year-old had already signed his scorecard before the subsequent ruling was made, his score of par on that 10th hole could not be changed.

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Englishmen Lee Westwood and Richard Bland, who both missed the halfway cut at the DP World Tour's British Masters at The Belfry this week, have already confirmed that they have asked to be released to play in the inaugural LIV Golf event, which will take place from 9-11 June in Hertfordshire.

Americans Phil Mickelson and Robert Garrigus have also requested releases from the PGA Tour to play in the tournament.

The PGA and European-based DP World Tours have previously threatened lifetime bans on defectors to the breakaway project, which will include eight 54-hole events across Europe, the United States and Asia.

The LIV Golf International Series is regarded as the first incarnation of the proposed breakaway Super League.

Norman has shelved plans to run the series as a league format, instead each event will run as an invitational tournament until 2024.