Sergio Garcia throws tantrum over slow play warning then fails to qualify for The Open
"You're right, we're always wrong" - LIV Golf star Sergio Garcia rants to R&A officials en route to falling short in his bid to qualify for The Open.
Sergio Garcia threw a strop in front of R&A officials after being put on the clock and then went on to miss out on one of four spots in the 152nd Open Championship.
Garcia, 44, failed to qualify for The Open last season for the first time since 1997.
And the LIV Golf star has unfortunately missed out again for 2024 after coming up agonisingly short at West Lancashire GC.
Garcia opened with a 1-under 71 in the morning and then added a 2-under 70 in the afternoon for a 3-under par total.
But that was two strokes shy of what was required to book one of four spots in the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon.
After dropping back-to-back shots from the 7th in his morning round, Garcia's group was then put on the clock.
Garcia was reportedly 'furious' at his group's slow play warning.
Sam Bairstow and Alex Maguire were also in his group, and they too missed out on qualifying for The Open.
According to Bunkered's Ben Parsons, Garcia was seen 'taking his anger out at two R&A officials'.
He told officials that it was the spectators contributing to his group being held up, and nothing to do with the players.
R&A officials informed Garcia that his group had fallen four minutes adrift of the expected time.
Garcia told officials he was having to 'wait three to four minutes for fans to move on every tee shot'.
"You're right, we're always wrong," a disgruntled Garcia told R&A officials.
Garcia's group ended up being one of 10 three-balls on the clock at West Lancs.
Scroll below to watch Garcia's rant...
Garcia was 'still simmering' with his slow play warning as he headed down the 10th hole, according to Parsons.
The R&A added additional marshals for the afternoon rounds in a bid to help prevent fans from disrupting the pace of play.
It appeared to make a minor difference.
Garcia's rant at R&A officials came a year after he told a photographer he was a 'd*ck' at 2023 Open Final Qualifying.
Amateur Matthew Dodd-Berry, LIV Golf's Sam Horsfield, Daniel Brown and Masahiro Kawamura were the four players to top the board at West Lancs and punch their tickets to The Open.
Dodd-Berry and Horsfield finished the 36-hole qualifier at 6-under par, one shot ahead of Brown and Kawamura.
A total of 72 players competed at West Lancs.
LIV Golf pro Carlos Ortiz fell short in qualifying for The Open after finishing on the same score as Garcia at 3-under par.
To Garcia's credit, he did hang around to sign signatures for all of his young fans waiting for him at the back of the 18th.
Had Garcia qualified for The Open today, it would have marked his 100th major appearance.
There were four Open spots available at each of the four qualifying sites today: West Lancs, Burnham & Berrow, Dundonald Links and Royal Cinque Ports.
Justin Rose, who won the 2013 US Open, successfully came through at Burnham & Berrow as expected.
The 2024 Open Championship takes place at Royal Troon, Scotland, from 18-21 July.
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