For the first time since 1997, Sergio Garcia will be absent from the British Open. The golfer failed to secure a spot through local final qualifying, where 19 positions were up for grabs across four different locations.
Sergio Garcia at The Open Final Qualifying at The West Lancashire Golf Club on July 4, 2023. (Jan Kruger/R&A/R&A via Getty Images)
This year's British Open tees off on July 20th at Royal Liverpool. Meanwhile, at Royal Cinque Ports, former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel and Branden Grace, who holds the Open record with a remarkable 62, successfully navigated their qualifying round. They, along with Laurie Canter, represent the only LIV Golf players from the regular roster to qualify.
Garcia was among a trio of LIV Golf participants who qualified for last month's U.S. Open, where he finished tied for 27th. Local qualifying represented his sole path to the British Open. He started strong at West Lancashire with a 67, but a second-round 71 left him three strokes shy of qualification.
Sergio Garcia tees off at The Open Final Qualifying at The West Lancashire Golf Club on July 4, 2023. (Jan Kruger/R&A/R&A via Getty Images)
West Lancashire saw a surge of excitement for Matthew Jordan, who secured one of the five available spots. Jordan has been a member at Royal Liverpool since childhood. Also qualifying from West Lancashire was Alex Fitzpatrick, younger brother of former U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick. Laurie Canter topped the leaderboard at Royal Porthcawl in Wales, leading five qualifiers from that location.
Sergio Garcia plays his second shot at The Open Final Qualifying at The West Lancashire Golf Club on July 4, 2023. (Jan Kruger/R&A/R&A via Getty Images)
At Dundonald Links, located north of Troon, Scotland, Graeme Robertson emerged victorious from a playoff, claiming the final qualifying position. Several LIV Golf players, including Graeme McDowell, Anirban Lahiri, Jason Kokrak, and Dean Burmester, were unsuccessful in their bids to qualify.
