Sergio Garcia has didn’t qualify for The Open Championship.
The LIV Golf star headlined the final qualifying event at West Lancashire Golf Club in Liverpool—one among 4 closing qualifiers throughout the United Kingdom—however Garcia shot a 3-under 141 over 36 holes, lacking out on one of many 4 spots accessible by two strokes.
“I attempted my hardest to get into The Open; it will have been good to make The Open my a hundredth main,” Garcia stated on the radio broadcast after his spherical.
“I really like The Open, and I really like enjoying majors. But it’s robust while you’re that shut and end proper on the sting. But sadly, I gained’t be capable to make it.”
Garcia tried to qualify for final 12 months’s Open Championship at Royal Liverpool by means of West Lancashire Golf Club as nicely. But he stated the course performed harder this 12 months, due to tougher situations. That stated, Garcia felt comfy making his method round these seaside hyperlinks, due to his expertise from a 12 months in the past. He knew his strains and the place to overlook pictures, however the situations—and different elements appeared to have gotten the most effective of him.
The Spaniard expressed frustration halfway by way of his first 18 holes, when R&A officers put Garcia on the clock for gradual play, per Ben Parsons of Bunkered.
Sergio Garcia livid at his gradual play warning at Final Open Qualifying – saying followers are inflicting the delays. Here he takes his anger out at two R&A officers.
“You’re proper, we’re all the time flawed.” pic.twitter.com/hO2mzYgSRa
— Ben Parsons (@_benparsons) July 2, 2024
Garcia stated that every one the followers following him disrupted the tempo of play, not his routine and deliberations.
“The marshals had been attempting to do the most effective job they might do, however clearly, we needed to cease just about on each tee for 2 to a few minutes to hit our tee pictures as a result of individuals had been strolling in entrance of the tee and on the golf green,” Garcia stated per Parsons.
“Unless we needed to start out hitting individuals, we couldn’t hit. I don’t assume they took that into consideration, and that was unlucky. It made us rush. On a day like in the present day, when the situations are so tough, and also you may want a bit of bit of additional time right here and there, it doesn’t assist out. Because of that, I made a few bogeys which may price me attending to Troon.”
He tied for fifth on the 2016 Open Championship, the final time Royal Troon hosted golf’s oldest main. That 12 months, Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson staged a duel for the ages, with the Swede warding off the American throughout an epic closing spherical that noticed Stenson win by three at 20-under-par. Stenson’s rating of 264 stays the bottom mixture rating in Open historical past.
As for Garcia, the Spaniard might solely make it again to Royal Troon by way of qualifying due to his LIV Golf affiliation, which has consequently plummeted his Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) to 312th on the planet. The R&A invitations solely the highest 50 gamers to spherical out its 156-man subject, that means Garcia didn’t obtain an computerized bid.
His exemption into this championship expired in 2022—5 years after he gained The Masters.
“You come out right here, you play as onerous as you may and hope it’s adequate,” Garcia added on the radio broadcast.
“If it’s not, then we’ll preserve attempting. Then, , The Masters shall be my a hundredth main subsequent April. That’s additionally a good selection.”
Jack Milko is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be certain to take a look at @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You can observe him on Twitter @jack_milko as nicely.
