Former World No. 2 blames lasagne after failing to qualify for The Open

The Open is set to take place between July 16 and 19 at Royal Birkdale Golf Club, bringing together some of the best golfers to Southport; however, a former world no. 2 is blaming a lasagne lunch for his failure to qualify.

Football fans will remember ‘Lasagne-gate’, when Tottenham Hotspur missed out on finishing fourth in the Premier League in 2006 to earn Champions League qualification, with their North London rivals claiming this position instead.

It appears that the Italian dish is once again being blamed for the failure to qualify for a major competition; this time it is a golfer blaming a lasagne for not being able to compete in The Open.

Sergio Garcia was competing at Final Qualifying to ensure that he could compete at The Open and was performing quite impressively until after lunch when he struggled.

He opened with a 4-under, 68, and put himself right in the hunt for one of the five spots available for Royal Birkdale.

During the lunchtime break the 2017 Masters winner decided to eat a lasagne in the players' lounge; however, following the meal, he would experience severe nausea and struggle to complete the afternoon round, ultimately missing out on a qualifying spot.

This would be because he shot a 3-over, 75, finishing 1 under for the day and missing the playoff line by seven shots, and he would explain to reporters afterward, including Today's Golfer's Ben Parsons, why this occured.

Garcia said: “I had a little bit of food there in the players' lounge, and it did not sit well with me.

“I only ate a lasagne…but for some reason it didn't sit well with me, and I just felt nauseous the whole front nine. In the afternoon, I felt like I was going to vomit pretty much on every hole."

I spoke with Sergio Garcia after he missed out on Open FQ at West Lancs.

Says he was feeling good after his first round, but then came a dodgy lasagne at lunchtime…

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— Ben Parsons (@_benparsons) June 30, 2026

I thought about stopping after nine,” Garcia added in the same interview. “But I thought, well, let’s play a couple more and see if I get something going, but unfortunately it didn’t happen.

"Obviously I love The Open, and I want to give myself as many chances as possible to play it," he added. "Ideally, hopefully I'll keep playing well and get in the top 50 in the world, and then I won't have to worry about coming in and qualifying."

Garcia’s dream of winning The Open continues to evade him, with the Spaniard having finished runner-up at the competition on two occasions, 2007 and 2014. This is the third time in four years the 46-year-old has missed his chance to qualify for the last Major tournament of the season.