After failing to qualify for his first Major in 24 years, Sergio Garcia has made sure that won't be happening twice in a row after making it through to next month's US Open.
The Spaniard had to do it the hard way, making it through from a stacked field at Bent Tree Country Club and Northwood Club to the north of Dallas city center.
Garcia opened up with a 66 at Bent Tree before another 66 in the afternoon at Northwood to take one of the eight spots on offer for LA Country Club. His score of nine-under-par got him through in T4th, with a birdie on the last ensuring he avoided a playoff.
He stuck a wedge to 3ft on the 18th and duly converted for a fist pump in front of fairly large galleries.
Birdie on 18 for major champion Sergio Garcia. 🔥He advances through Final Qualifying and will make his 24th #USOpen appearance next month.📹: @TexasGolfAssoc pic.twitter.com/FAk3S7g9h1May 23, 2023
Garcia's fellow LIV Golf player and former Ryder Cup teammate Graeme McDowell was also in the field but he missed out on the playoff by a single stroke.
G-Mac shot seven-under-par, with eight-under making it into a five-way playoff. The 2010 US Open champion, who is reportedly going to attempt Open Championship qualifying too, agonisingly played his last 11 holes in three-over-par.
PGA Tour rookie Carson Young blitzed the field at 16-under-par, winning by five strokes to make his first US Open. He birdied his last six holes at Bent Tree in the morning to shoot 63 before a course record 62 in the afternoon at Northwood.
Young has been in the top 20 in three of his last four PGA Tour starts, and had his best ever finish of T3rd at the Puerto Rico Open in March.
A course record 6️⃣2️⃣ to secure a spot @USOpenGolf 👏Carson Young shoots a combined 16-under to win the U.S. Open Final Qualifying in Dallas. pic.twitter.com/yZ3Fz17W9HMay 23, 2023
Garcia, captain of Fireballs GC in the LIV Golf League, failed to automatically qualify for the US Open after his move to the Saudi-backed circuit has seen his world ranking plummet.
The top 60 in the Official World Golf Ranking make the field, but the Spaniard is now down at 206th in the world, meaning the only Major he automatically qualifies for is The Masters.
He tees it up this week at Trump National DC in the seventh event of the 2023 LIV Golf League. He had his best ever LIV finish in Singapore last month, where he came second after losing to Talor Gooch in a playoff.
