Sergio Garcia fights back over club snap controversy at The Open as he battles for Ryder Cup shot

Daily Record

2 days ago

The furious Spaniard has defended himself after the flashpoint
Sergio Garcia defended himself against club-snap rage as he fights for a Ryder Cup future.
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The Spanish star lost the plot on the second tee of Sunday after sending a wild shot off target.
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Garcia was furious and cracked his club into the deck. As he smashed it into the turf, the head came flying off leaving him without a big dog for the rest of the round.
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But he insisted he was not being an angry man as he responded: 'To be totally honest, I didn't feel like I did that much. I didn't smack it straight down. I kind of swiped it back. I've done that 50 times and never broken a club.
'The shaft just snapped in half and I was surprised. I wasn't trying to break it. Usually, if it breaks, it breaks by the neck and it broke in the middle of the shaft.
'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 was desperate to do well to give himself a chance of making Luke Donald' s side for the clash against the United States at Bethpage in September.
His two-under finish didn't trouble the leaders, but he said: 'I don't think it's the last chance, I think there's still a good amount of weeks left. At the end of the day, I've just got to do what I can. I've got to try to play the best I can and then we'll see what happens.
'It's no secret that we have been talking. It would mean the world to me to be there. Obviously if I can help the team, that's my main goal, I've always said it. I think that I can bring things to the team.
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'Obviously at the end of the day, he's going to make whatever he thinks is the best decision for him and his team.'
Garcia and Jon Rahm were strong as a pairing at Whistling Straits four years ago and he added: 'Jon and I are good friends. I was watching a few YouTube videos this week on our matches there. We had a great time. We gel nicely.
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'It's still a couple months to go. I wish I could have a crystal ball and see the future, but unfortunately, I cannot.'
Garcia says his LIV status will have no bearing on the captain's decision as he said: 'That's what he's told me, it's just about how my game is and what I can bring, simple as that. We've had a few conversations.
'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, even though Luke has been doing a great job of bringing a lot of information to the potential players.
'When you're out there, 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.
'It's easy to go into a little shell and get smaller. I was very fortunate to play with Jesper [Parnevik] in 1999 as a rookie. He made it so much fun and so easy for me to really enjoy the moment and enjoy the Ryder Cup, even being away as tough as the crowds might be.'
Garcia still harbours hopes of being a future captain, but added: 'It's something that obviously would be a nice honour to have. I really don't want to think about that right now. I've got my mind on other things.'