Sergio Garcia was a 3-foot putt away from qualifying for The Open Championship for the first time in three years. The Spaniard failed to make that putt on the 72nd hole of the Asian Tour’s International Series Macau, dropping him into a tie for fourth and losing the last of three tickets to Royal Portrush provided by the event.

However, that was not the last word from Garcia in terms of trying to play in the fourth major of the current season, which will be played in July at the iconic venue in Northern Ireland.

The 2017 Masters victor spoke on the subject in a recent interview with Fox Sports:

“When it comes to The Open, this is something that I would love to be a part of again. It’s my favorite major. … I was very close in Macau, but unfortunately, I fell short. I’ll just keep trying. I’m going to use every option that I have,” Garcia said, as reported by Fox Sports’ Henry McKenna.

The 45-year-old still has several options to qualify for The Open Championship. The one that seems most viable is to win the ticket that the R&A will award directly to a LIV Golf player.

This exemption, new this season, will be awarded to one of the top three members of LIV Golf’s internal rankings at the conclusion of the Dallas event in June. The lucky player will be the top-ranked one in that group, not otherwise exempt.

Currently, Sergio Garcia is one spot away from earning his ticket this way. The Spaniard is fourth in the LIV Golf standings. All three players ahead of him, Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Joaquin Niemann, have already qualified for The Open.

If he fails to maintain his position between now and the cut, his chances will be greatly diminished.

Garcia could try to win one of two tickets to the DP World Tour’s Italian Open, but that event coincides with the Dallas one, so it is not a realistic option for him.

His next and final option is to play in the regional and final qualifiers, which will be held on June 23 and July 1, respectively. The Spaniard already tried this route in 2024, but failed to win one of the four tickets distributed at the West Lancashire Golf Club.

The Spaniard has already played in the first two majors of the season, the Masters and PGA Championship, with uninspiring results.

Garcia missed the cut at both events, finishing at +4 and +8 respectively.

Sergio Garcia hasn’t given up on his Ryder Cup goals either

In the same interview, Sergio Garcia once again touched on Ryder Cup aspirations. The biennial event will be played in September at Bethpage Black, New York:

“Probably the most important thing is to keep playing like I’ve been playing. … And then it’ll come down to [Luke Donald] and his team deciding if I can bring something extra that will help,” the Spaniard said, as reported by McKenna.

Garcia is currently very far from earning his place on the European team through the points system implemented by Donald. In fact, he has yet to earn a single ranking point.

Should he fail to break into the top 6, which would earn him a spot on the team, the native of Castellon, Spain, also has the option of being included in Luke Donald’s six free picks. His performance at LIV Golf will play a crucial role in that.

Garcia has played four tournaments this season, with one victory (Hong Kong) and one top-10 finish (T6, Riyadh).

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