Share

Garcia comes out second best in bush confrontation

Southport - Masters champion Sergio Garcia was relieved at being able to complete his second round at the British Open on Friday, and shoot a 69, after hurting his shoulder with an angry swipe at a gorse bush.

The Spaniard hit a poor tee shot at the short fourth hole at Royal Birkdale and was then left with a difficult second from off the green, with the bush hindering his backswing.

After struggling to play out, he thrashed his club against the offending bush in frustration before wincing as he held his right shoulder in pain.

Garcia eventually bogeyed the hole before completing his round in one-under-par 69 to move to two-over for the championship, but he admitted he was lucky to avoid inflicting more serious harm upon himself.

"It feels better than it felt when I did it," he said at the end of his round.

"Obviously it took a good amount of pills to make it feel better and a little bit of treatment. And it's warm at the moment. So I want to see how it feels tonight.

"But I'm going to go to the physio track and make sure I get some work on it because it still feels a little bit sore around it. So we'll see. Hopefully it will be fine."

Garcia, who went on to eagle the following hole, the fifth, added: "Obviously I am not happy about it because I almost screwed up my British Open.

"Fortunately for me I didn't. But sometimes you're out there and you're trying your hardest, and when you can't do it, it gets a little frustrating. We've all had those moments."

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1470 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2249 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE