Sergio Garcia is only 4 behind after a late start

Sergio Garcia may want to try to arrive late to class more often.

Garcia got stuck in a traffic jam on his way to Royal St. George’s on Thursday and needed a police escort to get to the course in time for his first lap at the British Open.

When he left the course for the day, Garcia posted an Under 68 score, which only puts him back.

“Obviously very happy with the finish,” Garcia said. “Even happier after the start of the morning, where due to the terrible traffic, even though I left home with a lot of time, I needed a little help from a few very nice English policemen on bikes to get me here with only about 35, 40 minutes to start… We couldn’t move, and luckily they helped us out a bit and got us here on time.

“I was able to do a really quick practice, a really quick warm-up, but it went well because I played well.”

Garcia had only played eight more rounds at Royal St. George’s before Thursday and had finished under par in only one of them. He also ended his day with a pair of birdies, to get back to par over the last nine and make sure he’s in the red.

The 11-time PGA Tour winner is just four strokes behind Louis Oosthuizen, who recorded a 64 without a bogey to take the solo lead before Friday. Oosthuizen – along with Jordan Spieth – is now the favorite to win the Major League at +450 on BetMGM. Garcia was listed at +6600 on Friday night.

If he knows he still has a long way to go to win the second major tournament of his career, Garcia’s late departure puts him on the right track.

“That’s not to say whether or not it’s going to make your week or not, but obviously if you start off well it gives you a little more confidence,” Garcia said. “It gives you a little more – you relax a little more. I am very excited about this.

More from Yahoo Sports: