2007 Open: Sergio Garcia So Close Yet So Far

Here we take a look at how Garcia could've grabbed his first major title 10 years earlier than he did.

2007 Open: Sergio Garcia
Sergio Garcia (ESP) during the 2007 British Open of golf. (Photo by liewig christian/Corbis via Getty Images)

The 136th Open Championship at Carnoustie proved again that it wasn't quite Sergio Garcia's turn to lift the Claret Jug and claim his first major.

2007 Open: Sergio Garcia So Close Yet So Far

Up until he finally secured his first and heavily deserved major title at Augusta in 2017, Sergio Garcia had done everything in the game but win one. In all four majors he had come close to getting the monkey off his back. With five top-10's in six Open Championships for the Spaniard, Carnoustie in 2007 was no different.

Garcia headed into the final round with a three shot lead over Steve Stricker and hoped to win his first major title wire-to-wire.

After birding the 3rd hole to be the first player to get to double digits for the tournament, Garcia was looking very strong to get the job done. However Carnoustie produced it's usual troubles and tribulations throughout the day. The infamous nickname 'Carnastie' was back in business.

The Spaniard produced three bogeys in four holes to end his front 9 on +2 for his round and 7-under for the tournament which at this stage had him tied for the lead with Padraig Harrington who was two holes ahead of him.

Related: 2018 Open Championship Tee Times

The crazy roller-coaster round for Garcia continued into the back nine where he birdied holes 13 and 14 but then bogeyed 15.

Eventually he came to the 18th. 71 holes had been played and he was one shot clear going into the treacherous par-4 18th. 499 yards was all that separated between him and the Claret Jug. No one wanted a repeat of Jean Van de Velde 8 years previously, however Garcia needed to par the hole to win. That was no easy task.

Garcia couldn't quite do the champions walk up the 18th fairway just yet when a 10 foot par putt was there staring him down on the green.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3qJNhA4Sbg&t=6s

Sadly, Garcia's lacklustre finishing touches at major championships continue as the putt lipped out to force a play off with Padraig Harrington.

Pressure got the better of Sergio almost immediately as he bogeyed the first hole of the four-hole playoff and ending up losing by a shot.

The 137th Open proved to be another year for the phrase 'so close yet so far' in relation to Sergio's Major drought.

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Elliott Heath
News Editor

Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!

Elliott is currently playing:

Driver: Titleist TSR4

3 wood: Titleist TSi2

Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1

Irons: Mizuno MP5 5-PW

Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5

Ball: Srixon Z Star XV