Sergio Garcia, after complaining to officers for being placed on the clock for gradual play in his closing qualifier for the Open Championship, once more didn’t make the sphere for the 12 months’s closing main Tuesday.
The 44-year-old member of LIV Golf got here up two strokes brief after capturing 71 and 70 over two rounds at Liverpool’s West Lancashire Golf Membership, one among 4 websites internet hosting closing qualifying Tuesday. His rating of three below tied for sixth, with solely 4 advancing from West Lancashire to Royal Troon, the place The Open will happen July 18-21.
“I come right here and I strive my hardest to get into The Open,” Garcia mentioned. “It might be good to make The Open my one hundredth main, but it surely was robust circumstances and typically issues do not go your approach. … I attempted every little thing that I may and that is all I can ask myself for.”
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Garcia was caught on video complaining to R&A guidelines officers after being placed on the clock, saying he was being slowed down by followers on the property.
“The marshals had been making an attempt to do the very best job they may do, however clearly, we needed to cease just about on each tee for 2 to 3 minutes to hit our tee photographs as a result of individuals had been strolling in entrance of the tee and on the green,” Garcia mentioned.
“Until we needed to begin hitting individuals, we could not hit. I do not assume they took that under consideration, and that was unlucky. It made us rush.”
At one level, Garcia was heard telling officers, “It is OK, don’t fret. You are all the time proper, we’re flawed.”
Newbie Matthew Dodd-Berry and Sam Horsfield, each of England, shot 6 below, and might be joined at The Open by England’s Daniel Brown and Japan’s Masahiro Kawamura, who completed 5 below.
Garcia has by no means received The Open. He got here closest when he misplaced to Eire’s Padraig Harrington in a playoff in 2007; he later tied for second in 2014. Garcia’s lone main win was the 2017 Masters.
Veteran Justin Rose and LIV Golf’s Abraham Ancer had been the notable golfers to make the ultimate area at Burnham & Berrow in Somerset. LIV Golf’s Anirban Lahiri didn’t advance.
Rose has been exempt for the higher a part of 20 years and most not too long ago received the AT&T Pebble Seaside a 12 months in the past, however this 12 months has been a battle for the 43-year-old Englishman, who dropped out of the highest 50 on the planet rating. He figured his best choice was 36 holes of qualifying within the U.Ok.
“You sort of take it without any consideration,” Rose mentioned. “As you get slightly older, issues get slightly tougher. It makes you respect how particular The Open is.”
Rose was co-medalist at Burnham and Berrow with Dominic Clemons of England, who performed school golf final 12 months at Stetson and not too long ago signed with Alabama. Ancer and Sweden’s Charlie Lindh superior from a three-man playoff, with Lahiri making bogey on the primary additional gap.
Jack McDonald, who grew up about quarter-hour away from Royal Troon, received a playoff to get the ultimate spot out of Dundonald Hyperlinks and be part of Sam Hutsby, Angel Hidalgo and Irish newbie Liam Noland.
At Royal Cinque Ports, Matthew Southgate led 4 qualifiers, two of them Spanish amateurs Jaime Montojo Fernandez and Luis Masaveu, who might be competing within the European staff championship forward of the 152nd Open Championship. The fourth was Elvis Smylie.
That places the Open area at 149 gamers, with 10 extra spots obtainable — two from the John Deere Traditional, three from the Scottish Open and 5 European tour gamers who’re among the many high 20 within the Race to Dubai after this week.
Area Degree Media and The Related Press contributed to this report.
