Latest news with #EuropeanRyderCup
New York Post
3 days ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Furious Sergio Garcia snaps driver in half on second tee — and plays rest of British Open without one
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — Sergio Garcia, at age 45 and playing on LIV Golf, has been happy to have qualified for the British Open. That joy, however, turned to rage early in his final round Sunday when he snapped his driver in half, smashing it to the turf after hitting an errant tee shot on the second hole. The Spaniard missed the fairway left on the par-5 second hole and pounded his driver on the ground, breaking it at the shaft. Garcia, who ironically birdied the second hole, was forced to play the rest of his final round without a driver, because the rules of golf state that you cannot replace a club that was broken in anger. Rule 4.1 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.' 'The last two or three months have been really tough the way I've played, and I controlled myself very, very well,' Garcia said afterward. 'To be honest, I didn't feel like I did that much on the second tee. Obviously, I didn't hit a good drive. I didn't smack it straight down. I kind of like swiped it back. I've done that 50 times, and I've never broken a club. 'The shaft just snapped in half, and I was surprised. I wasn't trying to break it, and I was actually surprised when I saw that. I didn't feel like with what I did it should have broken, but that's what it was, and then I got some good practice when I threw it.' 3 Sergio Garcia snaps his driver by smashing it on the ground at the second tee during the British Open on July 20, 2025. X/NUCLR Golf 3 Sergio Garcia looks down as the top of his driver falls off on the second tee at the British Open on July 20, 2025. X/NUCLR Golf Garcia went on to shoot his best round of the week, a 3-under-par 68, and finished the week 3-under for the tournament. He was in need of a strong finish to show European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald that he's worthy of a captain's pick. Garcia missed the cut at the Masters before finishing tied for 67th at the PGA Championship. He failed to qualify for the U.S. Open. 'I had a good conversation with Luke last week, and we both know what we want,' Garcia said. 'The only thing I can do is keep working hard, keep building my confidence up, and if I'm able to do that, then it should be fine. We'll see. 'It would mean the world to me to be there,' he went on. 'If I can help the team, that's my main goal. I think that I can bring things to the team. At the end of the day, he's going to make whatever he thinks is the best decision for him and his team, so we'll see.' 3 Sergio Garcia during the 15th hole at the British Open on July 20, 2025. Getty Images Garcia said he believes the Open wasn't his 'last chance' to prove himself to Donald, saying, 'There's still a good amount of weeks left. I've got to try to play the best I can, and then we'll see what happens. This week, I felt like my game was on and off a little bit.' Garcia said he's been assured by Donald that the decision will be only golf related and not political, with LIV Golf being a deterrent. 'That's what he's told me — it's just about how my game is and what I can bring, what I can add to the team, as simple as that,' Garcia said. 'Obviously, going into the U.S., going into New York, experience is always good, mostly because you're still going to have some rookies there, and I think those experienced guys have a great job to do there to make sure that those rookies know what they're getting into. 'It's nice to have one of those experienced guys to put their arm around you and make you feel like 'don't worry, I've got you,' when people are shouting at you and screaming and wishing you all the bad things that you can think of.'
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Sergio snaps: Garcia snaps driver in anger at 2025 British Open, plays on without club
Sergio Garcia's famous temper flared again and this time it resulted in him snapping his driver at the 153rd British Open on Sunday. The Spaniard is playing without all 14 clubs at his disposal because he lost his cool after hitting a wayward drive left on the par-5 second hole at Royal Portrush Golf Club. Garcia, 45, slammed his driver on the hard links turf and the head popped off. Garcia will have to play the remainder of the round without the club. The Rules of Golf do not allow a player to replace a club broken in anger. Rule 4.1 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." Garcia has a long history of outbursts on the golf course. He was hoping for a strong finish this week to leave a lasting impression on European Ryder Cup Captain Luke Donald. Garcia has been a member of every European Ryder Cup team since 1999, with the exception of 2010 and 2023, and has a career record at the Ryder Cup of 25–13–7. He won earlier this year on LIV Golf but has struggled in the majors, missing the cut at the Masters and back of the pack at the PGA Championship. (He failed to qualify for the U.S. Open.) "I had a good conversation with Luke last week, and we both know what we want," he said earlier this week. "The only thing I can do is keep working hard, keep building my confidence up, and if I'm able to do that, then it should be fine. We'll see." Garcia managed to make birdie at the second hole after snapping his driver. He is currently 1-under for the tournament.
Belfast Telegraph
6 days ago
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
Darren Clarke reveals practice frustrations after difficult first round: ‘I should have spent more time in the Harbour Bar!'
The former Champion Golfer of the Year has been in Portrush preparing for the tournament for the last two weeks and played a practice round with Rory McIlroy and Tom McKibbin on Tuesday, intent on maximising his ability to compete against the best of the world at the final Major of the year. That being said, after beginning his bid for a second Claret Jug with a four-over 75 on the Dunluce Links, Clarke allowed himself to have a bit of a joke at his own expense, joking that he should have passed the days away somewhere else. "Coming in here shooting four-over, maybe I should have spent more time in the Harbour Bar than out here!' joked the 56-year-old. The Open at Royal Portrush: What happened in 2019? "It's great. I love getting home. It's one of those things. Unfortunately I'm so busy now over in the States it's tough for me to get home as much as I want." While his comment about the Harbour Bar was tongue-in-cheek, there was genuine frustration over his round for Clarke as, besides a delightful chip-in birdie on the par-four 17th, he struggled for momentum on the Dunluce Links. Only one other birdie was on his card during the round, at the par-five seventh, as six bogeys led to a round of 75 which has him battling to make it into the weekend at his home Open, like in 2019. "I played really nicely and practised and everything was good. Then today just didn't quite have it. That was it,' he explained. "You'd think I've never played here before, some of the places I hit it to. That's frustrating. I know you can't hit it short of the third. I know you can't hit it right on seven. I just hit it a few places that you cannot hit it here. I know better. Unfortunately, I just did. Then I couldn't really borrow a putt to go with it. "It was a tricky day, could have been worse. Just got to play better tomorrow." The chip-in on 17, though, was an obvious highlight, Clarke missing the green short left in the fescue and seemingly giving himself little room to work with, but he was able to chop it out over the greenside bunker and it released perfectly down the slope and into the hole for the birdie. 'Something went my way, which was nice! You don't hole ones like that too often, so that was pretty cool,' added the former European Ryder Cup captain. "I had a really enjoyable day, just disappointed with the score obviously.' There was one other pleasing moment for Clarke and that was watching good friend Pádraig Harrington hitting the opening tee shot of the tournament, the same honour that was bestowed upon him when The Open returned to Royal Portrush in 2019. The two-time Open champion would lead the tournament after the first hole as not only did he hit his tee shot down the fairway but he would go on to birdie it, and Clarke was proud of Harrington for handling his emotions. "He made three, didn't he? I told him the other day, I made three (in 2019), so you should do the same. And he did,' laughed Clarke. "It's one of those sorts of things where, if you haven't played a Ryder Cup, you don't understand what it's all about until you do something like that. It's a huge honour to hit the opening tee shot, especially for somebody like Pádraig in Ireland. "As much as I told him he was going to feel nervous and feel a bit of pressure when he walked down the steps, he probably didn't believe me, knowing Pádraig like I do. But I guess whenever he got there and got on the tee, oh, this is pretty big. So I'm glad to hear he was emotional about it."
Extra.ie
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
Golf inks...fore-ever: Superfan has heroes tattooed on leg
Now this is a golf superfan who really does have skin in the game. Jordan Black has been tattooed with the faces of some of Europe's best players ahead of the Open – and has won the approval of one of the stars inked on his leg. Earlier this year, Mr Black embarked on a challenge to get images of the triumphant 2023 European Ryder Cup team tattooed on his leg before the Open returned to Royal Portrush. Jordan Black from Carrickfergus. Pic: David Young/PA Wire The 35-year-old from Carrickfergus, Co. Antrim, now has Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, Jon Rahm, Tommy Fleetwood, Ludvig Aberg and captain Luke Donald all depicted on his left leg. While he will not have completed the set by the time the Open Championship tees off this morning, he is confident of doing so before the start of this year's Ryder Cup at the Bethpage Black course in New York in September, when Europe will once again battle the USA. And this week, he got a chance to show off the progress on his golfing body art to one of the greats, who is already inked on his leg. Jordan Black from Carrickfergus. Pic: David Young/PA Wire The Carrickfergus Golf Club member got a favourable reaction from Spanish two-time major winner Rahm when he met him at the conclusion of one of his practice rounds at Portrush. 'He says he loves it,' Mr Black remarked 'He's seen it and he really likes it. So it's nice to know that. I started it in February. 'I wanted to have it finished before the Open, but fell short of that deadline, but I'll get it finished for the Ryder Cup. Jordan Black from Carrickfergus. Pic: David Young/PA Wire 'I've got Rory, Shane, Tommy, Ludvig, Jon Rahm and Luke Donald so far.' Mr Black will be hoping to encounter some more of the game's star players when he returns to Portrush tomorrow to watch the second round action. 'I'm a massive golf fan, I've played for about 20 years,' he said. 'I'm going up on Friday with the family – I'm really looking forward to it.'
North Wales Chronicle
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- North Wales Chronicle
Golf superfan gets tattooed with star players ahead of Open's return to NI
Earlier this year, Jordan Black embarked on a challenge to get images of the triumphant 2023 European Ryder Cup team tattooed on his leg before the Open returned to his native Northern Ireland. The 35-year-old from Carrickfergus, Co Antrim, now has Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, Jon Rahm, Tommy Fleetwood, Ludvig Aberg and captain Luke Donald all depicted on his left leg. While he will not have completed the set by the time the Open Championship tees off at Royal Portrush Golf Club on Thursday morning, he is confident of doing so before the start of this year's Ryder Cup at the Bethpage Black course in New York in September. And this week he got a chance to show off the progress on his golfing body art to one of the greats who is already inked on his leg. The Carrickfergus Golf Club member got a favourable reaction from Spanish two-time major winner Rahm when he met him at the conclusion of one of his practice rounds at Portrush. 'He says he loves it,' Mr Black told the PA news agency. 'He's seen it and he really likes it. So it's nice to know that.' He added: 'I started it in February. I wanted to have it finished before the Open, but fell short of that deadline, but I'll get it finished for the Ryder Cup. I've got Rory, Shane, Tommy, Ludvig, Jon Rahm and Luke Donald so far.' Mr Black will be hoping to encounter some more of the game's star players when he returns to Portrush on Friday to watch the second round action. 'I'm a massive golf fan, I've played for about 20 years,' he said. 'I'm going up on Friday with the family – I'm really looking forward to it.'
