Sergio Garcia put in an impressive performance at the Asian Tour’s International Series Macau, but melted down at the worst possible moment. His only three-putt hole of the event cost him his spot in the Open Championship field.
Garcia had a 3-foot putt for birdie on the 72nd hole that would have tied him for third with fellow LIV golfer Jason Kokrak.
Had he made it, the Spaniard would have left the Macau Golf and Country Club with a direct ticket to Royal Portrush thanks to his better world ranking.
But he missed the putt and opened the door to Northern Ireland for Kokrak, who will be making his fifth career appearance in the fourth major championship of the season.
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Despite the par-threatening scare, there was much to be said for Garcia’s performance in Macau. The 45-year-old carded four rounds in the 60s (65, 66, 69 and 65), with 23 birdies and eight bogeys over the week.
However, all is not lost for the 2017 Masters victor in his quest to qualify for the Open Championship.
After winning in Hong Kong, Garcia sits third in LIV Golf‘s internal rankings. The new exemption category created by the R&A for the Saudi-backed league would fall on him, as the first and second ranked players (Jon Rahm and Joaquin Niemann) are already qualified.
The new qualifying rule states that the highest ranked player in the top 3 of the LIV Golf internal rankings, not otherwise exempt, will receive a spot in the Open Championship field. To earn the ticket, Garcia must maintain or improve his spot through the completion of the Dallas event in June.
Garcia would also have the option to play in the DP World Tour’s Italian Open, which will distribute two tickets to Royal Portrush as part of the Open Qualifying Series. Unfortunately for him, the European event overlaps with the LIV Golf’s Dallas event.
If he does not get the exemption through the LIV ranking, the Spaniard would have to seek his qualification in the regional and final qualifiers. This is not an easy task, as the Dallas event could also interfere with this plan.
The regional qualifiers will be held on June 23rd at 15 courses in the UK and Ireland, the Monday of the week that LIV Golf is playing in Dallas. The final qualifiers will be played a week later on July 1, also at UK courses.
So you could say that Garcia has probably pinned all his hopes on LIV Golf’s internal rankings.
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