A large crowd following Ryder Cup hero and LIV Golf rebel Sergio Garcia as he attempted to qualify for The Open Championship at Royal Liverpool later this month were left disappointed on Tuesday.
The Spaniard was part of a 72-man field at West Lancashire Golf Club, but an underwhelming second round in relatively benign conditions proved costly as he missed out on one of the five qualifying spots by three shots. Matt Wallace – a winner on the PGA Tour this year – won the event at 11-under-par, with fellow Englishman Matthew Jordan – a lifelong member at Hoylake – and South Africa's Kyle Barker carding 10-under in the marathon 36-hole event.
Alex Fitzpatrick, brother of 2022 US Open champion Matt, and highly-rated German amateur Tiger Christensen – named after the 15-time major champion – turned in cards of nine-under to secure their places at Hoylake on July 16. Garcia (-6), fellow LIV Golf star Graeme McDowell (-4) and 2014 Ryder Cup winner Jamie Donaldson (-3) were among the big names to miss out a West Lancs.
