Sergio Garcia’s latest comments about majors and LIV spark war among golf fans

Sergio Garcia’s recent comments about the majors and the competitiveness of the LIV Golf League have stirred the pot among golf fans.

Fresh off his first victory in the LIV Golf League, Garcia has once again urged the leaders of golf’s major championships to create entry opportunities for LIV Golf players. Over the weekend, Garcia triumphed at Valderrama, defeating Anirban Lahiri in a playoff after Lahiri missed a crucial two-foot par putt on the 54th hole.

 

This win marked Garcia’s third playoff showdown in the LIV Golf League and his first victory in nearly four years. He described this achievement as one of the highlights of his career.

 

At his winner’s news conference, Garcia emphasized the challenge of winning in the LIV Golf League. “Everyone thought that we’re all retired here and there was no competition,” he said. “I’m practicing more than I ever did before at 44, because if I don’t, I feel like I’m gonna get stuck behind.”

 

His comments sparked a flurry of reactions on social media. Some golf fans on X suggested Garcia was on the brink of being left behind on the established tours. “Guys like Garcia and Phil [Mickelson] still being competitive on this tour isn’t the flex that they think it is,” one fan noted. Another added, “Not as hard as qualifying for The Open.” Another user commented, “An extra 18 holes might make it even tougher.”

 

Garcia also faced mixed responses for his remarks about gaining a new perspective on the major championships. Since joining LIV in 2022, Garcia has had to go through qualifying rounds to compete in the big four tournaments. Although he secured a spot in the 2024 U.S. Open, he missed out on the PGA Championship and this week’s Open. He remains exempt at Augusta National.

 

Discussing his experiences, Garcia shared that the qualifying process has deepened his appreciation for the majors. “You know, I said it at the U.S. Open, that I am so thankful for LIV, and I don’t want to sound like I’m bragging or anything like that,” he said. “[But] I’ve been very fortunate to play pretty much every single major since the British Open in ’99 until 2023. I only missed the Masters because of Covid.

 

Even though you realize that the majors are super important and it’s what we love to play and stuff, when you get the chance to play in so many in a row, you start forgetting how difficult it actually is to make it into those majors.”

 

Reflecting on his recent struggles, Garcia continued, “This last year and a half or so, I’ve realized how difficult it is playing qualifiers and stuff like that. One day you hit two bad shots and you’re out. It’s given me definitely a different perspective on the majors, on how much they mean, on how much harder I’m trying when I’m playing them, and the U.S. Open was a good example of that. I was trying so hard to have a good week and play well and get in the top 10 so then I would qualify for the next year and things like that, and then obviously played the qualifier like 10 days ago for the British Open and just missing out.”

 

He added, “I know even more how hard it is and how important the majors are, and I still want to play as many as I can.”

 

Looking ahead, Garcia remains hopeful about the future. “Hopefully things get better and we start getting spots coming into some of the majors, but if not, I’ll just keep playing qualifiers until my body says enough is enough, I guess.”