Sergio Garcia’s temper flared early during Sunday’s final round at Royal Portrush. After a disappointing drive on the par-5 second hole, Garcia slammed his driver into the ground, snapping the shaft in half.
Despite playing the remainder of his round with just 13 clubs, Garcia managed to birdie that very hole and posted a solid 3-under 71. He finished The Open Championship at 3 under overall.
It’s been a season of inconsistency for the Spanish veteran. Garcia started his LIV Golf campaign strong with a win and two other top-10s in his first five tournaments. Since then, he’s cooled considerably, notching just one top-10 and two top-25s in his last five starts. While he made the cut in two of three majors this year, he hasn’t contended near the top of the leaderboard in either.
“To be totally honest, the last two or three months have been really tough the way I’ve played, and I controlled myself very, very well,” Garcia explained after his round. “I didn’t feel like I did that much on the second tee. Obviously I didn’t hit a good drive, and I kind of – I didn’t smack it straight down. I kind of like swiped it back.”
The club damage caught Garcia by surprise. “I’ve done that 50 times, and I’ve never broken a club. The shaft just snapped in half, and I was surprised. I wasn’t trying to break it,” he said. “Usually, if it breaks, it breaks by the neck, and it broke in the middle of the shaft.”
He added with a touch of humor: “I don’t know, maybe the shaft had a little thing there because I didn’t feel like with what I did it should have broken, but that’s what it was, and then I got some good practice when I threw it.”
With the Ryder Cup approaching, Garcia’s recent form hasn’t helped his case for selection. But the Ryder Cup veteran, who’s been in communication with European captain Luke Donald, remains optimistic about his chances.
“I don’t think it’s the last chance, to be totally honest,” Garcia said. “I think there’s still a good amount of weeks left. At the end of the day, I’ve just got to do what I can. I’ve got to try to play the best I can, and then we’ll see what happens.”
