Sergio Garcia apologises for explosive behaviour during Masters
Sergio Garcia issued an apology on Tuesday for his explosive behaviour during the Masters final round at Augusta National two days earlier, reports BritPanorama.
The 2017 champion lost his temper on the par-five second hole after his tee shot landed in a fairway bunker. He struck the turf twice with his driver before smashing it against a nearby cooler, which broke the club’s head clean off.
Garcia took to social media, stating: “I want to apologise for my actions on Sunday at the Masters tournament.” He added: “I respect and value everything that the Masters and Augusta National Golf Club is to golf. I regret the way I acted and it has no place in our game.”
This incident prompted Geoff Yang, chairman of the Masters competitions committee, to approach Garcia at the fourth tee and deliver a formal code-of-conduct warning — the first such sanction in the tournament’s history. Under the rules, because Garcia had damaged his equipment in anger rather than through normal play, he was prohibited from replacing the driver for the remainder of his round.
The 46-year-old Spaniard was forced to complete the final 16 holes without his longest club. He finished the round three-over-par 75, concluding the tournament at eight over, placing him 52nd among the 54 players who survived the cut. Following the unprecedented warning from tournament officials, Garcia showed little remorse immediately after completing his round, stating: “Obviously not super proud of it, but sometimes it happens.”
When pressed about his struggles at Augusta, Garcia was terse. Asked what had gone wrong, he replied simply: “Bad golf.” When questioned further about the specifics of his poor performance, he responded: “Bad shots.”
The former champion has endured a difficult period at the venue where he claimed his sole major title, missing six cuts in eight appearances since his 2017 victory. Television viewers voiced disapproval of Garcia’s behaviour, with many demanding he be barred from returning to Augusta next year.
Sunday’s eruption added to a history of on-course incidents for Garcia, including a similar outburst at last year’s Open Championship, where he destroyed his driver in frustration during the second hole. In 2019, he was disqualified from the Saudi International for deliberately damaging greens, and earlier incidents include nearly striking an official with a shoe he kicked off in anger at the 2001 World Match Play.
This latest incident serves as a reminder of the intense pressures professional golfers face and how quickly emotions can get the better of them on the sport’s biggest stages.
