Former Masters champion Sergio Garcia has attributed his failure to qualify for the Open Championship to a "dodgy lunch" that left him feeling sick. Garcia was competing in the final qualifying event at West Lancs on Tuesday, aiming to secure a spot at Royal Birkdale.
Garcia, now a player on the LIV Tour, had a strong opening round, shooting a 68 and sitting at four-under par at the halfway stage. However, his performance declined significantly in the afternoon, with a second-round 75 resulting in a total of one-under par. This score was insufficient to meet the eight-under par requirement for qualification.
"I had a little bit of food there in the players' lounge and it did not sit well with me," Garcia, 46, stated. "I only ate the lasagne. I thought maybe have a little pasta and stuff, but for some reason it didn't sit well with me. I just felt nauseous the whole front nine. In the afternoon, I felt like I was going to vomit pretty much on every hole."
Garcia considered withdrawing after nine holes of his second round but decided to continue playing. "I thought about stopping after nine holes. But I thought, well, let's play a couple more and see if I get something going, but unfortunately it didn't happen."
Elsewhere, Jack McDonald topped the leaderboard at Dundonald Links in Ayrshire, securing his place at Royal Birkdale with rounds of 70 and 69 for a five-under par total. McDonald, who grew up playing at nearby Kilmarnock Barassie, will be one of two Scots at the championship, alongside Bob MacIntyre.
This marks the second time in three years that the 33-year-old McDonald has qualified at Dundonald. He previously secured a spot at Royal Troon for the 2024 Open. "I've barely played. I've played PGA events and stuff, but I've been working at the same time," McDonald said. "I always liked this golf course and I was able to hit the shots that I needed to hit. I got in via a play-off a couple of years ago. This was a bit more stress-free being five-under coming down the last. Happy days."
England's Matthew Baldwin also qualified at Dundonald, finishing one shot behind McDonald on four-under par. For Baldwin, the Open at Birkdale holds particular significance as he is a Southport native and has been a member at the club since he was 17. "It will mean everything to me. For me, that's the ultimate. I am a Southport lad through and through. I have been a member at Birkdale since I was 17 years old," Baldwin said. "In previous years, I played an Open at Lytham and an Open at Hoylake. So Birkdale will complete the set. I'm 40 years old. I knew that this realistically was my last chance to play an Open at Birkdale."