Sergio Garcia made headlines during the final round of The Open Championship at Royal Portrush when he snapped his driver in half after a wayward tee shot. The Spaniard let his frustration show early in the round, creating one of the most dramatic moments of the tournament.
Garcia Insists He Didn’t Snap His Driver on Purpose
After pulling his drive sharply to the left on the par-5 second hole, Garcia slammed his club into the ground. To his surprise, the shaft snapped in two, and the clubhead flew off. He stood stunned for a moment, then picked up the broken pieces and threw the remaining half aside. Garcia insisted after the round that breaking the driver wasn’t intentional.
“…Obviously I didn’t hit a good drive, and I kind of-I didn’t smack it straight down. I kind of like swiped it back. I’ve done that 50 times, and I’ve never broken a club. The shaft just snapped in half, and I was surprised. I wasn’t trying to break it, and I was actually surprised when I saw that because usually, if it breaks, it breaks by the neck, and it broke in the middle of the shaft.
“I don’t know, maybe the shaft had a little thing there because I didn’t feel like with what I did it should have broken, but that’s what it was, and then I got some good practice when I threw it,” he added.
According to the rules of golf, if a player breaks a club in anger or frustration, they cannot replace it during the round. This meant Garcia had to complete the rest of his round without a driver-a key club, especially on a long course like Royal Portrush. Despite the setback, Garcia recovered well. He birdied the second hole and continued to play steady golf. He shot a final-round 68, his best score of the tournament, and finished at three-under-par overall.
Garcia in Mix For Ryder Cup Captain’s Pick Despite Frustration
The 45-year-old is making his first Open appearance since 2022, but he has struggled for form in all the majors since his breakthrough at the 2017 Masters. Garcia is yet to record a top-10 finish in any of the majors. However, a strong finish at this year’s Open will increase his chances of being a captain’s pick for the Ryder Cup.
“I had a good conversation with [Euro captain Luke Donald] last week, and we both know what we want,” Garcia said earlier this week. “The only thing I can do is keep working hard, keep building my confidence up, and if I’m able to do that, then it should be fine. We’ll see.”
Main Photo Credit: © Reuters via Imagn Images
