Sergio Garcia, for the second consecutive year, has missed out on qualifying for the Open Championship. The options for Major qualification for LIV Golf players are limited, but it’s not out of the question. Garcia gave it his best effort at Open Qualifying, but he came up two strokes shy of making it in.
The LIV star, who recently participated in the U.S. Open, attributed his lack of success to external factors. The golfer was reprimanded for his slow pace, but he was distressed by the presence of crowds that were following and causing disruptions for him and the other players on the tees.
Here’s what he said via Bunkered:
“When you have 2,000 people following us with no ropes, nothing. The marshals were trying to do as good a job as they could do but obviously, we had to stop pretty much on every tee for two or three minutes to hit our tee shots because people were walking in front of the tee and on the fairway.”
Garcia stated that there were no other options unless they were willing to accidentally hit the fans with their swings. He is of the opinion that the tournament’s organizers failed to consider any of this, causing everyone to feel rushed.
Additionally, Garcia mentioned that the already challenging conditions were further exacerbated by the issue with the crowd, which only made things worse.
“Because of that, I made a couple of bogeys that might cost me getting to Troon.”
Garcia lost his cool on the eighth hole, venting his frustration by shouting at officials. He cynically commented that ‘they are always right and players are always wrong.’
Can Sergio Garcia make it into the Open Championship now?
Sergio Garcia may have missed the opportunity to qualify for the Open Championship this month, but the door remains ajar. Despite the challenges faced by those in Garcia’s position after failing to qualify through Open Qualifying, there is still a glimmer of hope.
In addition to the Masters, PGA Championship, and US Open, the Open Championship also provides sponsors exemptions for players who are deemed deserving of a spot in the tournament.
Garcia successfully qualified for the U.S. Open. In some tournaments, players who tried to qualify but fell short were given sponsor exemptions. This is how Joaquin Niemann got into the Masters, and it’s the same way Sergio Garcia might still make it into the Open.
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