Sergio Garcia bungles U.S. Open qualifier amid disastrous LIV Golf showing

Everybody else birdied or made par on the 37th hole of the day. The 2017 Masters winner will now be the first alternate for the second major of the year.

LIV Golf League results are not recognized by the Official World Golf Ranking, requiring players to go through standard tournament qualifying channels or excel in non-LIV international events to earn places in majors.

Patrick Reed, who had competed in 42 straight majors since the 2014 Masters, will miss out on Pinehurst after withdrawing from the regional event in Dallas. Per the USGA (which operates the U.S. Open), players are not allowed to enter a later qualifier after WD’ing. It’s unclear why the 2018 Masters champ pulled out. The last 10 qualifying events will take place on June 3.

Reed moved up to no. 92 in the world after a solid T12 at Augusta National in April. He needed a top-3 result at last week’s PGA Championship to crack the OWGR top 60 and secure a U.S. Open spot. He finished T53.

Reed has a lifetime exemption for the Masters and was among a handful of LIV players (plus Tiger Woods) to receive a special exemption by the PGA of America to compete at Valhalla.

Not counting Reed, of the eight LIV players — Garcia, Eugenio Chacarra, Carlos Ortiz, Caleb Surratt, Kevin Na, Danny Lee, Abraham Ancer and Brendan Steele — who competed in the event at Dallas Athletic Club, only Chacarra qualified for the third major of 2024. The Spaniard finished T2 on Monday.

Bryson DeChambeau is the only LIV Golf players to flirt with contention in both the Masters and the PGA Championship.

At Pinehurst, 2021 U.S. Open champion Jon Rahm will be eager to bounce back from an underwhelming green-jacket defense (+4, T45) followed by missed cut at the PGA Championship.

LIV’s only tune-up for the U.S. Open will take place in Houston, from June 7-9.