The meritocracy of golf is never on display more than at major championship qualifying.
Each year, thousands of hopefuls enter the mix to qualify for one of golf’s two men’s opens, the U.S. and British — a group that often includes several dozen touring professionals. And each year, those hopefuls all have the same chance to nab one of a coveted few slots in the field. For a few days of the golf year, at least, your name and resume do not matter. Only your score does.
At U.S. Open final qualifying in Dallas on Monday, Sergio Garcia learned this lesson the hard way, missing out on the national championship in perhaps the most brutal way imaginable. In seven-for-six playoff to determine a slot in Pinehurst, Garcia was the odd man out.
The story begins on the 16th hole at Dallas Athletic Club, the site of the first of 11 final U.S.-based qualifiers. After reaching the par-5 at five under for the day and with one of 11 qualifying spots firmly in his grasp, Garcia double-bogeyed to tumble down the leaderboard to three under, where a glut of players already had landed. He entered the clubhouse at three under, and by the time play had concluded, he was one of seven players in the field at three under with only six U.S. Open spots remaining.
A seven-for-six playoff ensued on the first hole, and Garcia was the only player of the bunch to make a bogey, rendering him the playoff’s first (and only) loser. After 37 holes of do-or-die golf, the former Masters champion had come up just short, his only silver lining coming by way of first-alternate status.
Garcia, 44, is among a host of LIV pros who have seen their World Golf Ranking points — and thus their major championship status — dwindle in recent years after joining the rival tour. Garcia was one of several non-exempt LIVers to show up to final qualifying in Dallas, including his fellow Spaniard, Eugenio Chacarra, who finished T2 in the event and earned a spot in the U.S. Open.
This U.S. Open is June 13-16 at Pinehurst No. 2.