Sergio Garcia is already facing pressure to perform well at the 2024 Open Qualifying, and he showed signs of frustration when he was put on the clock during his round. The Spanish golfer received a warning for slow play after an intense exchange with an official from the&A.
Garcia, who is competing among 288 golfers vying for a spot in the 152nd, was part of a group that was put on the clock for slow play one of ten groups that situation. According to Ben Parsons from Bunkered, Garcia was displeased with the warning and attributed the delays to fans not clearing the way for his shots.
Following his exchange with the R&A officials, Garcia was observed walking away while muttering “You’re right, we’re always wrong.” You view the incident here:
Sergio Garcia is striving for one of the four available spots at the West Lancashire course. After the first round, he currently stands at 1 under 71. This is not the first time Garcia has faced scrutiny for slow play, as a similar incident occurred at the 2022 Wells Fargo Championship.
What was the outcome of Sergio Garcia’s slow play incident at the 2022 Wells Fargo Championship?
During the initial round of the 2022 Wells Fargo Championship, controversy arose when Sergio Garcia was penalized for slow play. On the 10th hole, Garcia lost his ball in the marsh and proceeded to search for it.
As per the on-call rules official, Garcia took four minutes to locate the ball, exceeding the allowed time limit by one minute. Garcia expressed his dissatisfaction with the rules official, claiming that the timing had started too quickly. Venting his frustration, he stated, as reported by Golf.com:
“Do you want me to swim across the river? I wasn’t searching for the ball there. I began looking for it once I reached this side. Does that make sense? I knew it was on this side of the river. I can’t wait to leave this Tour”.
