Sergio Garcia missed out on qualifying for the US Open in disappointing fashion.
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Golf’s meritocracy is never shown more than qualifying for a major tournament.
Every year, thousands of hopefuls enter the mix to qualify for one of the two men’s golf tournaments, the US and the British – a group that often includes fewer tour pros. And each year, those hopefuls all have the same chance to grab one of the few coveted spots in the field. For a few days of the golf year, at least, your name and resume don’t matter. Only your score.
In the US Open finals in Dallas on Monday, Sergio Garcia learned this lesson the hard way, missing out on the national championship in perhaps the cruelest way imaginable. In a seven-to-six playoff for a spot at Pinehurst, Garcia was the odd man out.
The story begins with the 16th hole at the Dallas Athletic Club, the first site of the last 11 sober in the US. After reaching the par-5 in 5 under for the day and with one of the 11 qualifying spots in his hands, Garcia doubled down on the leaderboard to three under, where a number of players had already gone down. He entered the clubhouse at three under, and when the match was over, he was one of seven players in the field at three under with only six spots remaining in the US Open.
A seven-to-six playoff followed on the first hole, and Garcia was the only player on the team to make bogey, making him the first (and only) loser. After 37 holes of do-or-die golf, the former Masters champion came up short, his only silver lining coming in the form of a first-round tie.
Garcia, 44, is among a number of LIV pros who have seen their World Golf Ranking scores – and thus their major league status – dwindle in recent years after joining the rival tour. Garcia was one of several unseeded LIVers to qualify for the finals in Dallas, including his fellow Spaniard, Eugenio Chacarra, who finished T2 at the event and earned a spot in the US Open.
The US Open is June 13-16 at Pinehurst No. 2.
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