Sergio Garcia De-escalates Broken Driver Situation, Claims Was Not on Purpose
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Sergio Garcia concluded his Open Championship performance with a final-round 68. It was a solid Sunday for him, to say the least, but he didn't seem pleased with the quality of his game.
His frustration peaked on the second hole, when he was seen unhappy with his tee shot. At that moment, Garcia reversed his swing in such an unexpected way that the shaft snapped in half.
This was a serious problem for the Spaniard, who had to play the next 16 holes without his driver. The rules of golf prohibit replacing clubs that have been broken by players during the round amid reactions of this kind.
🚨⛳️😤 #WATCH — LIV Golf star Sergio Garcia snapped his driver in a fit of rage after a poor tee shot on the 2nd hole.
He must play the final round without it and is not allowed to replace it.
pic.twitter.com/0teb8ZVFCI — NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) July 20, 2025
However, Garcia downplayed the matter, saying the club breakage was an accident.
"I didn't smack it straight down," he said, according to the transcripts of his post-round press conference. "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 -- because usually, if it breaks, it breaks by the neck, and it broke in the middle of the shaft.
"I don't know, maybe the shaft had a little thing there because 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."
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Garcia also said that moment on the second hole was probably the outlet for everything he's been feeling about his game over the past few months.
"To be totally honest, the last two or three months have been really tough the way I've played, and I controlled myself very, very well," he said, according to the transcripts. "To be totally honest, I didn't feel like I did that much on the second tee."
Sergio Garcia of Spain plays his second shot on the 12th hole during day three of The 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club on July 19, 2025 in Portrush, Northern Ireland.
Sergio Garcia of Spain plays his second shot on the 12th hole during day three of The 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club on July 19, 2025 in Portrush, Northern Ireland.Garcia got off to a strong start this season, with a win and two top-10 finishes in the first five LIV Golf tournaments. However, after missing the cut at the Masters Tournament, things changed dramatically.
In the next four tournaments, his best result was a tied-for-25th finish at LIV Golf Dallas. He made the cut at the PGA Championship, but finished tied for 67th.
His game has shown signs of recovery this month, with a top-10 finish at LIV Golf Andalusia and a T33 finish at the Open Championship.
Garcia needs this rebound if he wants to achieve his goal of returning to the Ryder Cup next September.
More Golf: PGA Tour's Wyndham Clark snubs media at Royal Portrush after Oakmont ban
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