Sergio Garcia’s ‘alternate’ door entry into the US Open’s embellished field has left the internet divided. The Spaniard took his first step towards the third major of the season’s gates by making use of his appearance at the final US Open qualifier at the Dallas Athletic Club, wherein he finished as the first alternate. His fate at Pinehurst was sealed thanks to the six spots saved for late exceptions by the USGA.

Before Garcia took the third spot out of the total six, Adam Scott and Robert MacIntyre made use of the first two spots. While Scott’s luck remained rooted in the tragic demise of Grayson Murray, MacIntyre made use of his win at the RBC Canadian Open to pace his special way to Pinehurst.

Garcia, for one, is all set to make his 25th consecutive appearance in the highly coveted event. After more than half a decade of longing for his second major title, the LIV golfer may make the 2024 edition his best shot at the third major of the season’s trophy to date. His first, and last major as of now came in 2017 at Augusta.

While Garcia prepares to make full use of the opportunity endowed upon him at the hands of the USGA, not all fans are his well-wishers. Even though a fair sect is interested in seeing Garcia succeed, others have preemptively decided against his credibility. But what exactly is the golf town talking about?

Fans react to Sergio Garcia’s ‘alternate’ route to the U.S. Open field

There seemed to be a consensus among fans about Sergio Garcia’s chances of making the cut. A fan wrote, “Can’t wait to watch him miss the cut,” expecting Garcia to miss the cut despite his new record extension to his long list of appearances. After all, Garcia has a rough history, having not finished inside the top 15 at the US Open in his last seven appearances. Further, his destiny at the two preceding majors of the season was not as fortunate either. Garcia missed the cut at the 2024 Masters Tournament, where he settled on a score of 72 in Round 1 and 79 in Round 2. Following his Masters’ destiny, he did not partake in the PGA Championship. Tracing a similar sentiment, another fan sarcastically wrote, “Well, somebody has to miss the cut,” presenting their take on Sergio Garcia’s predicted fate for the thrilling weekend to come. This feeling was symphonous in the larger golf circles. Another X user decidedly said, “Won’t make the cut.”

Yet another fan quickly remarked, “Doesn’t belong there,” taking a sharp hit at his recent rocky professional events and his position as first alternate in the final US Open qualifier at the Dallas Athletic Club. Their stance also illustrated Garcia’s move to LIV Golf as the crux of their belief in his attempts to retain his position at the major championships. They associated his ongoing major destiny with his move to the Saudi-backed giant.

One of the netizens pointed out, “Niemann deserves a spot,” thus hinting at how they believe Niemann deserves the spot more than Garcia. This is in recognition of the Chilean LIV Golf Pro’s intense major event appearance this season. `Niemann finished at an impressive T22 at the Masters with a score of 4-over-par, in addition to his decent finish at the PGA Championship at T39 with a score of 7-under-par. Thereby, the golf world could not stop imagining an alternate reality where a better-performing Niemann replaced a comparatively struggling Garcia.

All in all, the roars of fans at Sergio Garcia’s alternate entry into the event being held at Pinehurst were enough to shake the LIV Golf pro’s happy celebrations with an overarching burden of performance-related expectations.