"You're right, we're always wrong" - Furious Sergio Garcia blames fans for slow play warning at 2024 Open Final Qualifying
Sergio Garcia is already under pressure to perform well at the 2024 Open Final Qualifying, and he finally cracked when he got put on clock during his round. The Spaniard received a warning for slow play after a heated exchange with an R&A official.
The LIV golfer is one of the 288 golfers trying to qualify for the 152nd Open. His group was also one of the 10 that got put on the clock for slow play. According to Ben Parsons from Bunkered, Garcia was furious for receiving a warning and blamed the fans for slow play. He said that fans were not getting out of the way as he tried to take a shot, which was causing the delays.
After his exchange with the R&A officials, Garcia was seen walking away and muttering:
"You're right, we're always wrong."
You can watch the incident here:
Sergio Garcia is fighting for one of the four spots up for grabs at the West Lancashire course. After the first round, Garcia sits at 1 under 71. This is not the first time that Garcia has been put under pressure for slow play, with another similar incident taking place at the 2022 Wells Fargo Championship.
What happened to Sergio Garcia's slow play case at the 2022 Wells Fargo Championship?
During the first round of the 2022 Wells Fargo Championship, controversy struck as Sergio Garcia was clocked for slow play. During the 10th hole, Garcia lost his ball in the marsh and went to search for it.
According to the rules official on call, Sergio Garcia took four minutes to find the ball, one minute more than what is allowed by the rules. Garcia was unhappy with the rules official, citing that he had started the time too quickly. Expressing his frustration, he said, according to Golf.com:
“You want me to swim through the river? I wasn’t looking for the ball there. I was looking for the ball once I got over to this side. Does that make sense? I knew it was on this side of the river. I can’t wait to leave this Tour. Just a couple more weeks and I won’t have to deal with you anymore."
Sergio Garcia also went on to criticize the rules official for not giving him any warning that he was going over time. He said:
“That is bulls—t. That is absolute bulls—t. I mean, I’m a minute and a half over [time] and you don’t tell me?”
The PGA Tour eventually ruled that Garcia was indeed correct, and he did not face any penalty in the tournament. However, a few weeks later he left the PGA Tour to join the LIV Golf Series, as indicated by his frustrated rant during the Wells Fargo Championship.