Garcia Leads Team Of 21 LIV Golfers Playing In Open Qualifying

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published 28 June 2023

Sergio Garcia leads a party of 21 LIV Golf players who will attempt to qualify for the Open next week at four different sites during Final Qualifying.

Garcia and 20 other players from LIV Golf will attempt to make the field for the 151st Open Championship at Royal Liverpool over 36 hole qualifiers on Tuesday July 4.

The 43-year-old, who successfully went through qualifying to make the US Open this year, will tackle West Lancashire Golf Club alongside former US Open champion Graeme McDowell and Mito Pereira.

Branden Grace, now the joint-record holder for the lowest score even in a Major, is in the field along with former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel at Royal Cinque Ports.

Peter Uihlein and Jason Kokrak will tackle Dundonald Links while Marc Leishman and Laurie Canter will tee it up at Royal Porthcawl.

Lee Westwood will miss the Open for the first time since making his debut in 1995 as he and Ian Poulter were among the players who decided against trying to qualify.

Garcia also has a proud Open record to try and maintain, as the Spaniard has only missed the event once, the year after making his debut in 1996, so will look to qualify to play in his 25th straight Open.

Of the interesting names not in LIV Golf who will attempt to qualify, PGA Championship hero Michel Block will be playing at Dundonald Links with Matt Kuchar, Rafa Cabrera-Bello, Haotong Li and Kiradech Aphibarnrat.

Former Ryder Cup stars Jamie Donaldson and Victor Dubuisson will feature at West Lancashire while the trio of Harry Hall, Thomas Detry and Ross Fisher will be challenging at Royal Cinque Ports.

LIV Golf players in Final Open Qualifying

The 151st Open Championship will take place at Royal Liverpool

West Lancashire: Sergio Garcia, Graeme McDowell, Mito Pereira, Scott Vincent

Royal Porthcawl: Marc Leishman, Cameron Tringale, Matt Jones, Anirban Lahiri, Laurie Canter

Royal Cinque Ports: Charl Schwartzel, Branden Grace, David Puig, Brendan Steele, Dean Burmester, Wade Orsmby, Kieran Vincent

Dundonald Links: Jason Kokrak, Peter Uihlein, Carlos Ortiz, Sebastian Munoz, Andy Ogletree

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Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website. Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush.

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LIV Golf players in Final Open Qualifying