The 151st Open: Sergio Garcia will miss The Open for the first time since 1997, as he was among the former major champions who did not go beyond Final Qualifying.
The 2017 Masters winner, who finished tied second behind Rory McIlroy at Royal Liverpool the previous time The Open was hosted there in 2014, was unable to secure one of the five slots available in the 36-hole qualifying event at West Lancashire.
Garcia blended seven birdies with two bogeys in an opening-round 67 on Tuesday morning, putting him in position to make his 25th straight participation at The Open, only to drop down the leaderboard with a second-round 71, leaving him tied-sixth, three shots outside the qualification slots.
“Obviously, I’m a little disappointed right now,” Garcia told Sky Sports. “But that’s the game of golf, and you can’t take anything for granted. I’m grateful for the opportunity to compete in 25 Open Championships; it’s not an easy task.
“I wanted to keep that streak going, but I couldn’t do it today. I adore the game of golf; I enjoy playing, competing, and participating in large tournaments. It doesn’t matter if you play them well or not; simply being a part of them is always a thrill, and I’ve been lucky to be a part of many during my career.”
Matt Wallace, who won his first PGA Tour victory earlier this year, led the field after a second-round 65, while South Africa’s Kyle Barker and England’s Matthew Jordan – a Royal Liverpool member – shared second place.
Tiger Christensen of Germany and Alex Fitzpatrick, brother of last year’s US Open champion Matt, took the remaining two slots in West Lancashire, although former US Open champion Graeme McDowell and 2014 Ryder Cup winner Jamie Donaldson both failed to qualify.
Former Masters winner Charl Schwartzel and Stinger GC teammate Branden Grace, who shot the lowest round in Open history in 2017, were among the five players to qualify at Royal Cinque Ports.
The remaining spots were filled by fellow South African Martin Rohwer, Belgium’s Thomas Detry, and three-time DP World Tour champion Antoine Rozner, with LIV combo David Puig and Dean Burmester joining David Howell and PGA Tour regular Harry Hall in failing to qualify.
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