Golf's greatest have descended upon Royal Troon this weekend to contest The Open, the fourth and final major tournament on offer in the 2024 calendar. And while major names from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf League take centre stage, one rebel from the latter is a notable absentee.
That's despite the fact Sergio Garcia sits second on the LIV money list thus far in 2024. And the lucrative leisure of the Saudi-funded breakaway tour should offer some comfort despite his failure to feature in western Scotland this week.
Garcia, 44, missed out on a place at The Open after falling short in a qualification tournament for the second year in succession. And it was a case of deja vu for the Spaniard after he finished two strokes off the pace at West Lancashire and failed to clinch one of the four qualifying places.
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LIV players joined the rebel series knowing their chances of featuring in major tournaments would become more complicated. Despite finishing as an Open runner-up on two occasions, Garcia is one of those who has fallen victim to the cut-throat contrast.
Fellow veteran Justin Rose - who successfully came through qualifying to secure a spot in Troon - has shown his absent peer what he could have had. English favourite Rose barely squeaked his spot in Scotland yet finds himself tied for second on Saturday, just two strokes behind leader Shane Lowry ahead of the championship rounds.
Garcia was part of the initial batch of PGA exiles to make their way over to LIV shores in 2022. However, he didn't clinch his first victory until the Andalucia event held in his native Spain earlier in July.
It was there he defeated Anirban Lahiri in a play-off to claim the $4million (£3m) first-place prize to boost his money list prospects tremendously. Not only that, but Garcia's Fireballs GC outfit also won the team event, banking each of its members another $750,000 (£581,000) apiece.
The 2017 Masters champion sat fourth in the LIV money list before Andalucia. However, he shot to second in the standings after taking his 2024 earnings total to around $11.5m (£8.9m), with only Joaquin Niemann placed ahead of him.
Unlike Garcia, Chile's Niemann did make the cut to feature at The Open this weekend. He scored an even par across each of the opening two rounds to bank a spot in the weekend action, with the title far from out of his reach just yet.
Garcia celebrated the first LIV win of his career on home turf and will target more money-spinning success when the Saudi series resumes on English soil come July 28. However, he'll have to watch on through envious eyes for the time being as the best in the business compete for the Claret Jug.
