Sergio Garcia’s rival ‘would have quit golf’ if he suffered same Open heartbreak

Sergio Garcia, a prominent figure in the LIV Golf circuit, has narrowly missed the opportunity to compete in the 2024 Open Championship. The Spaniard finished just two shots shy during the final qualifying round held at West Lancashire Golf Club on Tuesday.

Garcia, who aimed to make his 100th major championship appearance at Royal Troon this month, had a promising start. He carded a one-under-par 70 in challenging conditions during the first round. However, his performance in the second round was not sufficient to secure his spot in the prestigious tournament.

This marks the second consecutive year that Garcia has failed to qualify for the Open, adding to his history of near misses at the event. Notably, in 2007, he lost to Padraig Harrington in a playoff at Carnoustie, which saw Harrington clinch his first major championship title. Reflecting on that victory, Harrington, who became Europe’s first major winner in eight years, admitted that losing would have significantly impacted his career. “I never let myself think I had blown the Open,” Harrington shared, revealing that a loss might have driven him to retire from professional golf. “If I’d lost, I don’t know what I’d think about playing golf again.”

Garcia, who captured his first major title at the Masters in 2017, expressed his disappointment over this recent setback. “It would have been a dream come true to make The Open my 100th major because I love The Open,” he said after the event. “Everyone knows how much I love playing here in the UK, and you could see it with the amount of people following our group this year and last year.”

Since joining LIV Golf, Garcia’s Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) has dropped, requiring him to qualify for both the Open and the US Open in recent years. However, his 2017 Masters win grants him a lifetime invite to that event. Reflecting on his near miss, Garcia said, “It is a little bit disappointing that the Open won’t be my 100th major. I guess The Masters is also not a bad choice. It would have been nice to be at Troon. The only thing I can do is come here, give it everything I have, and see what happens. I’m going to be a little short, but that is life, and that is golf.”