Sergio Garcia misses at Open final qualifying after lasagna issue

Beware of the lunchtime lasagna.

That apparently helped do in Sergio Garcia as the 46-year-old LIV player failed to advance out of Open final qualifying on Tuesday in Blundellsands, England.

Having just fired a 4-under 68 that put him in the mix for one of five Open berths midway through the 36-hole event at West Lancashire Golf Club, Garcia headed inside for quick bite. He told some reporters onsite that he only ate the lasagna, which didn’t sit well with his stomach.

“I just felt nauseous the whole front nine,” Garcia explained. “In the afternoon, I felt like I was going to vomit pretty much on every hole.”

Garcia said he debated withdrawing at the turn before skidding to a second-round 75 to miss a 3-for-1 playoff by seven shots. While Garcia tied for 35th at last year’s Open, he’ll miss the sport’s oldest major for the third time in four years.

“When you’re this age and you’re playing 36 holes, you feel like you need to eat a little bit between the rounds,” Garcia added, “and you do that and it doesn’t sit well with you and you’re struggling with your stomach pretty much the whole second round, it’s tough. You come all the way here to give it your best shot and not feeling 100% there, it hurts a lot.”

The 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale is just a few short away. Here’s how and where the final players in the field qualified on Tuesday.

Joining Garcia outside the top five places at West Lancs was Wesley Bryan, who missed a 7-footer for par on his final hole to finish one shot shy of the playoff, which was won by Matthew Jordan.

Jordan advanced alongside fellow Englishman Sam Bairstow, New Zealand’s Kazuma Kobori, Germany’s Tiger Christensen and Spain’s Josele Ballester, Garcia’s fellow Fireball who played his last three holes in 3 under.