Sergio Garcia arrived at West Lancashire on Tuesday to chase a return to the Open Championship. The sixteen-time DP World Tour winner was not able to progress through Final Qualifying in 2023 and 2024, ending a streak of 24 successive Opens. This year, it was a plate of lasagna that derailed his bid to qualify.
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The Spaniard opened his first round with a strong four-under 68, making an eagle at the par-5 16th. He looked well placed to book his spot at Royal Birkdale. However, that happiness was short-lived, because soon after not his swing but the food he had for lunch started causing him problems.
“I had a little bit of food there in the players’ lounge, and it did not sit well with me. I only ate the lasagna. 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,” he said afterward. By the time Garcia got back to the course, he dropped four shots and was considering withdrawing from the qualifying altogether. However, he stayed on, hoping to make it through, but ended up signing for 3-over 75 and sounded somewhat remorseful for the plate of lasagna he had.
“When you’re this age and you’re playing 36 holes, you feel like you need to eat a little bit between the rounds,” the 46-year-old LIV Golf pro added, “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.”
The final score was a 68-75 for a 143 total, and he finished T30 at the West Lancashire, well outside the top five qualifying spots. Garcia played 24 consecutive editions of the championship between 1998 and 2022, and it’s a run that’s hard to overstate in the golf’s oldest major championship.
But things changed when he switched to the LIV Golf League in 2022. His ranking then sank, and he felt, his ranking fell well outside the window for automatic entry.
Sergio Garcia says he felt like he was going to puke during round two of Open Qualifying after having lunch halfway through, and considered withdrawing after 9 holes
The 2017 Masters Champion had to qualify the hard way at the West Lancashire 2023, where he shot 67-71 and finished tied for sixth, one spot outside the qualifying mark. He returned to the same course again in 2024 and came up two strokes short, missing the spot at Royal Troon. Despite the setback, the Spaniard remained persistent with his efforts to tee it up at the Open. Last year, he earned an exemption into The Open at Royal Portrush and finished T-34.
His 2026 season has followed a similar pattern of near misses and physical setbacks. Garcia said the physical demands have become more challenging with age as he continues to compete in majors and on the LIV Golf circuit.
Speaking to the media, he also said, “It’s a shame; it’s tough. When you are at 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.”
That said, Garcia will have to watch the 154th Open from outside the ropes when it begins at Royal Birkdale on July 16. Whether he gets another crack at extending his major championship legacy will depend on his form and health in the next season.