For Sergio Garcia, who missed his last two The Open Championships after playing every year between 1998 to 2022, The Open at Royal Portrush was supposed to be a redemption. For the most part, it did seem like that. After all, he secured his first The Open appearance in three years through an exemption that welcomes LIV’s highest-ranked non-exempt player (top 5), and then made it to the weekend at Royal Portrush. Nothing good came out of his Sunday round, however.
Sergio Garcia’s Sunday round at Royal Portrush didn’t go as planned. After starting his Royal Portrush mission with a solid one-under 70 on Thursday, falling back with a 73 on Friday, and then steadying himself with a 70 on Saturday, Garcia’s frustration boiled over on the 2nd hole of the final round. Teeing off at 4:55 AM ET alongside Justin Leonard, Garcia managed a par on the 1st hole despite losing his tee shot to the left.
However, when his tee shot with a driver sailed short and left again on the par-5 2nd hole, Garcia’s frustration reached a breaking point. In a moment of anger, Sergio Garcia smashed his driver into the 2nd tee box, snapping it halfway up the shaft, and then watched as the half with the clubhead flew toward his golf bag and caddie. The result? He’ll now play without a driver for the rest of the round due to a simple golf rule.
Sergio Garcia playing final round of The Open without driver after snapping it on 2nd hole.
E thru 10pic.twitter.com/qDNCdbRsps
— Underdog Golf (@UnderdogGolf) July 20, 2025
The rule at hand in Sergio Garcia’s case states: “A player is allowed to keep using and/or to repair any club damaged during the round, no matter what the damage and even if the player damaged it in anger. A player is not allowed to replace a damaged club, except when it is damaged during the round by an outside influence or natural forces, or by someone other than the player or his or her caddie.” However, despite breaking his driver on the 2nd tee, Garcia birdied the hole, then dropped a shot at the 4th, but rebounded with another birdie at the par-5 7th, getting back to one under. Gameplay wise he is doing decent, if not an acceptable way of behaviour.
The LIV golfer’s 2025 major run has not been the best, as he missed the cut at the Masters and even the US Open. But, he managed to finish T67 at the PGA Championship and is now T32 at The Open Championship.
Well if you didn’t know, this isn’t the first time Sergio Garcia has shown outbursts at The Open. In the 2017 edition of the event, Sergio Garcia’s frustration boiled over at Royal Birkdale, where he lashed out at a bush with an iron on the 4th green, hurting his shoulder and requiring medical attention. It hurt him! This time, too, he could have hurt himself (or someone else), and so fans aren’t forgiving.
Golf fans are demanding disqualification for Sergio Garcia
Given the situation, one fan said, “He should be disqualified there and then.. MacIntyre yesterday was pathetic,” while another said, “Sick of pros acting like this.” Indeed, such outbursts at Royal Portrush seem unbecoming of golfers of calibre like Sergio Garcia. And even Robert MacIntyre. MacIntyre had a rollercoaster third round at the 2025 The Open Championship, with frustrations getting the better of him. After a bogey on the tough par-4 14th hole, MacIntyre’s annoyance led to a relatable moment (at least, for Sergio Garcia) – he spiked his club into the turf, watching as it boomeranged into the air before falling back down.
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