Sergio Garcia Misses Open Championship Bid After Devastating 3-Foot Putt Fail
Sergio Garcia narrowly missed qualifying for the Open Championship at Royal Portrush after a costly three-foot putt at the Asian Tour's International Series Macau event.
Garcia finished fourth in the tournament, with the top three spots earning automatic qualification for the 153rd Open Championship. Carlos Ortiz claimed victory, followed by Patrick Reed in second and Jason Kokrak in third place.
The missed short putt on the final hole would have tied Garcia with Kokrak for third place. Due to Garcia's higher world ranking (513th versus Kokrak's 775th), he would have secured the final qualifying spot through the countback system.
Twenty LIV Golf players competed in Macau seeking Open Championship qualification, as their limited world ranking points have restricted their pathways to major championships. The R&A recently introduced a new exemption for LIV players, offering a spot to the top-ranked player in LIV's individual standings who hasn't already qualified after their Dallas event in June.
Garcia, currently third in the LIV standings behind already-qualified Joaquin Niemann and Jon Rahm, maintains a strong position to potentially qualify through this new exemption. The 2017 Masters champion will need to either maintain his strong LIV Golf form or succeed in local qualifying to avoid missing the Open Championship for the third consecutive year.
The tournament proved more successful for other LIV golfers:
- Carlos Ortiz: Secured his second Open Championship appearance
- Patrick Reed: Qualified for his 10th Open Championship
- Jason Kokrak: Earned his spot through third-place finish
Ortiz, who shared the first-round lead with Reed, secured his victory with early birdies and an eagle on the par-5 12th hole, ultimately winning by three shots.