“He lost the qualifier to an amateur” – Fans react to Sergio Garcia not qualifying for the Open Championship over Hank Hanley’s remarks

Tiger Woods' ex-coach Hank Haney weighed in on Garcia's absence from the coming tournament.

“He lost the qualifier to an amateur” – Fans react to Sergio Garcia not qualifying for the Open Championship over Hank Hanley’s remarks

Sergio Garcia's absence from The Open Championship draws comments from Hank Haney (Image via Imago/ X)

Sergio Garcia, the 2017 Masters champion and LIV Golf star, failed to qualify for the 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon after a testy exchange with officials during the qualifying event at West Lancashire Golf Club.

Garcia, who was attempting to make his 100th major appearance, shot rounds of 71 and 70 to finish 3-under par, two strokes shy of earning one of the four available spots. The Spaniard was caught on video complaining to R&A rules officials after being put on the clock for slow play.

This incident has sparked high-voltage drama on X, after a post by Tiger Woods‘ ex-coach Hank Haney when a fan asked him his thoughts about Garcia not earning a spot in the Open Championship.

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As they like to say, he knew the consequences. So it makes perfect sense to some people to have a weaker field.
Hank Haney wrote on X in response to the fan’s question

Fans were quick to react to Haney’s reply and bashed Garcia for not qualifying for the tournament. One user wrote, “He lost the qualifier. To an amateur.” while another said, “García is a weak crying baby, no longer one of the best players. He’s in the place he deserves.”

Following are some fan reactions from X:

As a star LIV Golf player, Sergio Garcia only plays majors in PGA Tour. However, his performance is quite stagnant this year. He has not won any tournament so far in 2024.

Sergio Garcia’s 2024 LIV and PGA Tour performance

The Spanish golfing veteran has had a mixed 2024 season so far, competing in both the LIV Golf and PGA TOUR events. He tied for 2nd at LIV Golf Mayakoba, earning $201,000, and again tied for 2nd at LIV Golf Miami, earning $205,000.

Sergio Garcia also secured a 5th place finish at LIV Golf Houston, earning $205,000. He missed the cut at the Masters Tournament but finished strong at the U.S. Open, tying for 12th place and earning $409,279.

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LIV Golf Tournaments

On the LIV Golf circuit, Garcia has had a solid run, with several top finishes:

  • LIV Golf Mayakoba (Feb 2-4): Tied for 2nd place with a score of 65-70-66, earning $201,000.
  • LIV Golf Las Vegas (Feb 8-10): Finished in T27th place with a score of 69-68-70, earning $207,000.
  • LIV Golf Jeddah (Mar 1-3): Tied for 15th place with a score of 67-71-65, earning $203,000.
  • LIV Golf Hong Kong (Mar 8-10): Tied for 38th place with a score of 71-66-70, earning $207,000.
  • LIV Golf Miami (Apr 5-7): Tied for 2nd place in a playoff with an overall score of 67-68-70, earning $205,000.
  • LIV Golf Adelaide (Apr 26-28): Tied for 40th place with a score of 71-73-66, earning $210,000.
  • LIV Golf Singapore (May 3-5): Tied for 14th place with a score of 69-68-68, earning $205,000.
  • LIV Golf Houston (Jun 7-9): Finished 5th place with a score of 67-70-68, earning $205,000.

PGA Tour Tournaments

On the PGA Tour, Garcia has had a more mixed bag of results:

  • Masters Tournament (Apr 11-14): Missed the cut with a score of 72-79, earning no money.
  • U.S. Open (Jun 13-16): Tied for 12th place with a score of 69-71-71-70, earning $409,279.

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