Sergio Garcia’s latest bid to secure a place in The Open Championship came undone in the most unexpected fashion after what should have been a routine meal between rounds at Final Qualifying.
The Spaniard arrived at West Lancashire knowing he had another opportunity to earn one of five available places in golf’s oldest major. It was his third attempt to qualify this year, and after opening with an impressive four-under-par 68, Garcia was firmly in the hunt heading into the second and final round of the 36-hole event.
Everything appeared to be falling into place until a stop in the players’ lounge before teeing off again. Garcia chose a chicken lasagne, hoping a plate of pasta would provide enough energy for the long day ahead. Instead, it marked the beginning of a miserable afternoon.
A Meal That Changed Everything
“I had a little bit of food there in the players lounge and it did not sit well with me,” Garcia explained after his round. He said he only ate the lasagne, expecting it to be a sensible choice before another 18 holes, but almost immediately began feeling nauseous. As the second round progressed, the discomfort only intensified.
“I only ate a lasagne. I thought maybe have a little pasta and stuff, but for some reason it didn’t sit well with me and I just felt nauseous the whole front nine. In the afternoon, I felt like I was going to vomit pretty much on every hole.”
The illness quickly derailed his challenge. After a promising morning, Garcia surrendered four shots over the opening nine holes of his second round and even considered ending his day early. “I thought about stopping after nine,” he admitted. “But I thought, well, let’s play a couple more and see if I get something going, but unfortunately it didn’t happen.”
Despite battling through the sickness, Garcia completed the round with a 75, leaving him outside the qualifying positions and once again short of a place at The Open.
Sergio Garcia Reflects on Missed Open Opportunity
The disappointment was made even harder to accept because he believed his game was in good shape whenever he wasn’t fighting his stomach.
“I’m still working hard. When I was feeling healthy today, I felt pretty good. I hit a lot of good shots this morning. Even on the second nine when I kind of started feeling a bit better again, I hit a lot of good shots. But those first nine holes killed me.”
Garcia also reflected on the physical demands of playing 36 holes in a single day, particularly at this stage of his career. “It’s a shame. It’s tough. When you’re this age, and you’re playing 36 holes, you feel like you need to eat a little bit 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.”
“You come all the way here to give it your best shot and not feeling 100% there, it hurts a lot.”
Looking ahead, Garcia hopes to avoid the qualifying route altogether by improving his world ranking. “Obviously I love The Open, and I want to give myself as many chances as possible to play it. Ideally, hopefully I’ll keep playing well and get in the top 50 in the world, and then I won’t have to worry about coming in and qualifying.”
Other Big Names Fall Short
Garcia was not the only notable player to leave West Lancashire disappointed. Former Masters champion Danny Willett finished on four-under, four shots outside a playoff for the final qualifying spots.
Matt Wallace also failed to advance, withdrawing before completing his round due to an ongoing back problem ahead of his scheduled trip to Illinois for this week’s John Deere Classic.
The five players who successfully secured places in The Open from West Lancashire were Sam Bairstow, Kazuma Kobori, Tiger Christensen, Jose Ballester, and Matthew Jordan.
