Sergio Garcia will not tee it up at Royal Birkdale next month. For the third time in four years, the Spanish star will miss The Open Championship. Garcia, 46, failed to claim one of the five qualifying spots at West Lancashire, despite a promising start that briefly put him in the mix.
He opened his final qualifying campaign with a four-under-par 68, positioning himself squarely in contention for a place in the 154th Open. The 2017 Masters champion, renowned for his prowess on links courses, looked set for a return to one of golf’s oldest majors.
Then came the afternoon collapse. Garcia stumbled to a three-over 75 in his second round, finishing the day at one-under overall, well adrift of the group advancing to Royal Birkdale. West Lancashire was just one of four venues offering a combined 20 places in the championship.
After his round. Garcia revealed that illness derailed his bid. Trouble started after he ate lasagna between rounds, leaving him nauseous for much of the afternoon. “I only ate the lasagna,” Garcia said. “I thought ‘have a little pasta,’ but for some reason it didn’t sit well with me and I just felt nauseous the whole front nine of the afternoon.”
He considered withdrawing but decided to push through, hoping for a turnaround. “I felt like I was going to vomit pretty much on every hole and I thought about stopping,” he said. “But I thought, well, let’s play a couple more and see if I get something going, but unfortunately it didn’t happen.”
By the time his stomach settled on the back nine, the damage was done. Garcia said his play improved as he felt better, but the early struggles proved too costly. “When I was feeling healthy today I hit a lot of good shots. Even on the second nine of the afternoon, when I kind of started feeling a bit better again. I hit a lot of good shots. But those first nine holes killed me,” he said.
Missing The Open has become an unwelcome pattern for Garcia. He sat out two of the last three editions and was last exempt for the 2024 event at Royal Portrush. Despite his status as a LIV Tour captain and a history of strong major performances, including runner-up finishes at The Open in 2007 and 2014, plus three more top-fives. Garcia couldn’t find a way through this year’s final qualifying.
The West Lancashire qualifier underscored the uphill battle for established names trying to earn their way in, especially as age and health become bigger factors. Garcia acknowledged the grind of 36 holes in one day at this stage of his career, particularly when illness strikes. “When you’re this age and you’re playing 36 holes, you need to eat between the rounds and you do that and it doesn’t sit well with you and you’re struggling with your stomach pretty much the whole second round, it’s tough,” Garcia said.
He wasn’t alone in falling short. Danny Willett and Matt Wallace also failed to qualify at West Lancashire. Englishman Samuel Bairstow led the way there at 10 under par. Garcia’s compatriot. Jose Luis Ballester, did secure his place at The Open, joining several others from the four qualifying venues.
Royal Birkdale will host The Open from July 16-19. Garcia’s absence removes a familiar name from the major championship stage. Whether he can find a way back to elite events remains an open question.
