Sergio Garcia shows true colors to child at Open Qualifying after LIV Golf star berates officials

Sergio Garcia had time to offer a special gift to a young fan watching on during the first round of British Open Qualifying, with hundreds of golf fans flocking to watch the Masters champion in action at West Lancashire.

Garcia no longer automatically qualifies for the British Open, and has seen his name tumble down the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) since making the move to LIV Golf. This has therefore resulted in the Spaniard turning to Final Qualifying, with four spots up for grabs over 36 holes at West Lancashire.

In testing conditions, Garcia found himself one-over-par through nine holes, but this was not without controversy after he was involved in a dispute with officials of the event over crowd control.

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Garcia has unsurprisingly drawn in a huge crowd on the Wirral but was left unimpressed over how the crowds were being managed. "It should be organized better," the LIV star was heard commenting after it was revealed that his group had been handed a warning over slow play.

The former Masters champion looked visibly agitated but continued to soldier on in as the wind swirled around the West Lancashire track. He cut a frustrated figure on the par-four 15th, after rolling an effort for birdie around five feet short, leaving him a testing putt for par.

Having composed himself, the Fireballs captain rolled in for four but was seemingly still left unhappy with the attempt prior. This did not stop the often fiery Spaniard from showing his compassionate side though, spotting a young fan on the way to the 16th, to who he handed his ball.

With a spring in his step, Garcia then played the par-five 16th perfectly, finding the green in two before two-putting for a much-needed birdie to move back to level-par for the day. He then left himself in trouble on the par-three 17th a hole later, with his tee shot finishing towards the back of a bunker on the left of the green.

A superb wedge shot followed, though, before tidying up for his par. He still had time for one more birdie too, after rolling in a superb putt from around 10 feet at the 18th to ensure he ended his opening round at one-under-par with 18 holes left to play. And there was another lucky fan waiting too, as Garcia offered another ball souvenir to a youngster watching on as he made his way off the final green.

Garcia is contending for one of four spaces on offer for the trip to Royal Troon later this month and is not the only LIV Golf star in the field on the Wirral. He is joined by Englishman Sam Horsfield, who finds himself in a healthy spot at three-under-par and tied for the lead. Elsewhere Torque GC's Carlos Ortiz is at even-par at the halfway stage, whilst Kieran Vincent sits at two-over.