The Open qualifying: Justin Rose reaches Royal Troon but Sergio Garcia falls short
Justin Rose successfully qualified for The Open at Royal Troon, while his former Ryder Cup teammate Sergio Garcia narrowly missed out for the second year in a row.
Rose has competed in each Open tournament since 2007, except for 2022 when he couldn't play due to a back injury. He continued this streak by securing one of the four spots in the final qualifying round at Burnham Burrow in Somerset.
The golfer, aged 43 and a former US Open winner, did not make it to the final rounds in four of his last five major tournaments. He finished with a score of eight under par after 36 holes, tying with another English player, Dominic Clemons. Clemons had recently lost in the final of the Amateur Championship, missing out on a spot at Troon.
The Open - last chance to qualify
Justin Rose, Dominic Clemons (amateur), Abraham Ancer, and Charlie Lindh were the top performers at Burnham & Berrow, with all of them finishing with scores of -5 or better.
Dundonald: Sam Hutsby is leading with a score of -8, followed by Angel Hidalgo and Liam Nolan tied at -5, and Jack McDonald at -4.
The Royal Cinque Ports golf tournament saw Matthew Southgate leading with a score of -6, followed by Elvis Smylie at -3, and Jaime Montojo Fernandez and Luis Masaveu (a) tied at -2.
The leaderboard in West Lancashire is dominated by Matthew Dodd-Berry, Sam Horsfield, Daniel Brown, and Misahiro Kawamura. Dodd-Berry and Horsfield are tied at -6, while Brown and Kawamura are close behind at -5.
"Currently, I'm feeling really excited and thrilled because I was able to successfully pass through," Rose shared with Sky Sports.
There are times when you may simply want to compete in The Open just to experience another Open tournament - and that opportunity may arise in my career - but I still believe I have a chance to emerge victorious in The Open.
"To be successful, you need to participate. That was important for me today, to come here and complete the task in order to have a chance at achieving my ultimate goal."
Garcia Misses Out, Fans Flock To Spaniard
As Rose continued to pursue his goal of competing in the Open, over in West Lancashire near Liverpool, Garcia fell short by two strokes of reaching the top four, a similar result to his performance a year ago.
The 44-year-old's ranking in the world of golf has decreased since he joined LIV Golf. This means that the only major tournament he can participate in based on his skills is The Masters, where he has previously won.
He is still a popular figure, as shown by the many people who followed him, but this led to issues as there were long waits on each hole due to the large crowd.
His group received a warning after playing eight holes because they were four minutes behind schedule. Garcia felt this was unjust given the circumstances and believed it led to a few missed shots that ultimately had a significant impact.
"Garcia noted that although the marshalls were working hard, we still had to frequently pause at each tee for a few minutes due to people strolling on the fairways."
"I don't believe they considered that, and it was unfortunate because it caused us to hurry. In challenging conditions like today, it's important to allow for a little extra time. This rush led to me making a few bogeys, which may have prevented me from reaching Troon."
Garcia was hoping to secure a spot in his 100th major tournament, which will now appropriately take place at Augusta National in the upcoming year.
Monday afternoon, July 15th at 2:00pm
The Spanish golfer was beaten by Matthew Dodd-Berry, an amateur from Royal Liverpool, who tied for first place at West Lancashire with Sam Horsfield at six under par. Dan Brown and Masahiro Kawamura, both professional golfers on the DP World Tour, also qualified for the next round.
Another golfer from England, Matthew Southgate, finished first at the Royal Cinque Ports golf course with a score of six under par. He was followed by Australian player Elvis Smylie and Spanish amateur golfer Jaime Montojo.
In Dundonald Links, only five miles from Royal Troon, Sam Hutsby from England finished first with a score of eight under. Spaniard Angel Hidalgo and Irish amateur Liam Nolan tied for second place with a score of five under. Scot Jack McDonald secured his spot through a play-off.
When Will The Open Air On Sky Sports?
Sky Sports is once again showing The Open, with non-stop coverage on Sky Sports Golf and live broadcasts from all seven days of the tournament at Royal Troon.
You can catch all the action live for six hours on Monday, and seven hours on Tuesday. Don't forget to tune in on Wednesday for 10 hours of previews, updates, and exclusive interviews before the final men's major of the year kicks off on Thursday, July 18th.
The action starts bright and early at 6.30am with wall-to-wall coverage for the first two rounds. The opening tee shot is at 6.35am. Additional coverage can be accessed throughout the day on Sky Sports Golf, the red button, Sky Q, and Sky Glass. You can also catch Featured Groups and Featured Hole feeds.
Which golfer will emerge victorious in the last major tournament of the year? Catch all the action of The 152nd Open at Royal Troon on Sky Sports Golf from July 18-21. Don't miss out on live coverage of the PGA Tour, major tournaments, and much more with NOW.
