Sergio Garcia has suffered a huge setback after he failed to qualify for golf’s next major, the US Open, putting his hopes of playing at the Ryder Cup in serious jeopardy
Sergio Garcia will miss the US Open for the first time this century in a potentially devastating blow to his Ryder Cup hopes. The Spanish legend earned more than £40million on the PGA Tour – ranking him 16th on the all-time list – before switching to LIV Golf.
He took part in last week’s PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, finishing tied for 67th on seven over par. Since then, Garcia has been trying to qualify for next month’s US Open at Oakmont Country Club.
However, the 45-year-old fell just short at a final qualifying event on Monday. The former Masters champion bogeyed his last hole in 36-hole qualifying at Texas’ Bent Tree Country Club, ending on six under.
That cost him a place in a 7-for-1 playoff for the final of seven available spots. It means Garcia will be missing from the US Open field for the first time since 1999.
Beyond the obvious disappointment of missing one of the sport’s majors, it also hampers his chances of representing Europe at the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in New York later this year. Due to being a LIV player, Garcia has limited opportunities to earn qualification points for the Ryder Cup.
His best chance of making the team now lies in securing a captain’s pick from Luke Donald. Garcia, who made his debut as a 19-year-old in 1999, is the highest European points scorer in Ryder Cup history with 28.5 and 25 matches won. Nick Faldo is next on the list in terms of points with 25.
His showing at Quail Hollow brought an end to a streak of seven straight missed cuts at the PGA Championship. Speaking to Sky Sports on his current form, he said: “At the moment, it’s unknown.
“Some good things and some terrible things. I definitely need to keep working on it and improve it to make sure that I give Luke a chance of having me in New York.”
Garcia admitted he would turn down a captain’s pick if his current form continues. He said: “The way I’m playing, even if Luke offered me a pick right now, I would tell him no. Obviously, I need to get better.
“I need to get more where I was just before the Masters. You know, just show myself and show everyone that my game is solid, and it can help Team Europe. It’s as simple as that.
“The good thing is that there’s still two or three months until the team is finalised. So I’ll have time to gain some confidence and improve a little bit on my game.”
Garcia has notched up top-six placings in three out of his first five starts in LIV events this year, triumphing in Hong Kong back in March and securing fourth place at an International Series on the Asian Tour. But he has ended outside the top 40 in his two LIV appearances since the Masters.
