Sergio Garcia missed a 3-foot putt which cost him a spot at the Open Championship. The 45-year-old knew only a top three finish would see him qualify for the Open Championship at the Royal Portrush. However, the Spaniard miscued on the short putt on No. 18 in Sunday’s final round of the International Series Macau.
Garcia finished in fourth place at the Macah Golf and Country Club in China despite shooting a 65 in the final round. The Spaniard would have tied with Jason Kokrak and advanced based on a tiebreaker if he made the putt. As a result, his colleagues at LIV Golf – Mexican Carlos Ortiz and Americans Patrick Reed and Jason Kokrak – clinched the three spots available for the Open Championship.
Despite the disappointing finish, Garcia’s performance was impressive as he carded four rounds in the 60s with 23 birdies and eight bogeys to end the week.
Open Championship Hopes For Garcia Despite Macau Miscue
The 2017 Masters winner will be extremely disappointed not to qualify for the Open yesterday, however all hope is not lost for the Spaniard. Garcia can still qualify for the Championship Open which takes place in Northern Ireland from July 17-20 through other routes.
Garcia will have other opportunities to qualify for The Open as the season progresses. The R&A introduced a new exemption last month that will be given to the top player in the individual LIV standings who hasn’t already qualified after the league’s Dallas event in June. The 45-year-old is currently third in the standings behind Joaquin Niemann and Joh Rahm after winning the LIV Hong Kong some weeks back.
Both Joaquin Niemann and Joh Rahm have already qualified for the Open Champion, which means that Garcia will earn this exemption slot as things stand. However, it is not a done deal for the Spanish golfer, as he needs to continue playing well and see off the challenge of other non-exempt players who are currently behind him in the standings.
Garcia has never won the Open Championship, but he finished as runner-up in 2007 and 2014. He has played in the event 25 times, making 20 cuts, most recently in 2022. The Spaniard also boasts of 10 Top 10 finishes in the event. He hopes to take his next opportunity to qualify for the tournament and continue his quest to win it for the first time.
He is also well positioned to qualify for the U.S. Open through this new exemption. After missing out on qualification for the Open yesterday, Garcia will have to be at his best to ensure he doesn’t miss out on this exemption.
Main Photo Credit: © John David Mercer-Imagn Images
