Augusta National, known for its formidable challenges, can unsettle even the most seasoned golfers. On Sunday, it was Sergio Garcia who fell victim to its demands, earning a formal reprimand from the Masters’ officials for his conduct.
Early risers at Augusta, poised for the unfolding drama of the Masters’ final round, might not have expected much excitement until later in the day when players like Rory McIlroy stepped onto the course. However, the passionate Spaniard brought the drama ahead of schedule, unraveling spectacularly just a couple of holes into his concluding round.
Garcia faced a tough time at Augusta this week. He barely made it through to the weekend, starting Sunday with a daunting 16-shot gap behind frontrunners Rory McIlroy and Cameron Young.
Already one-over par for the day, the 2017 Masters champion found trouble early. His drive on the second hole veered into the right fairway bunker, tearing up a chunk of the tee box along the way on the long, dog-leg par-five.
This misstep was far from ideal, especially as Garcia needed nothing short of a miracle to extract any positive outcome from his time at Magnolia Lane this year. However, the ensuing outburst seemed disproportionate, overshadowing any chance of redemption at this storied tournament.
The shot was far from ideal with Garcia already needing a Masters miracle to claw back any positives from this year’s trip down Magnolia Lane. But it still did not warrant the tantrum that ensued.
The ball was still in flight when the LIV Golf star began to repeatedly batter the turf with his driver. When that was no longer a sufficient outlet for his anger, the 46-year-old turned to the cooler box on the right edge of the tee.
Sergio Garcia snapped his driver after repeated smashing it in a fit of fury at The Masters
The veteran professional hammered the box with his club, the hit so hard that the impact snapped the driver head off the shaft.
Later on the same hole, hilarity ensued. Garcia was seen wandering down the fairway carrying a golf bag.
The bizarre twist? It wasn’t even his own. Garcia traipsed down the hill with playing partner Jon Rahm’s bag slung over his shoulder.
Rahm’s own caddie was left tending to a bunker, but why Garcia’s compatriot couldn’t carry his own bag was a mystery.
What Garcia intended to achieve with the classless act is beyond anyone in sound mind’s guess. All his childish temper tantrum resulted in was a reprimand from Augusta’s powers-that-be and the self-inflicted penalty of completing his round without a driver.
Garcia was issued with a code of conduct warning, with Geoff Yang, the chairman of the Masters competition committee, pulling him to one side on the fourth hole.
Meanwhile, under the Rules of Golf, Garcia was not allowed to replace his driver since it was damaged because of abuse.
Garcia, despite his tempestuous outburst, managed to make par, hacking himself out of the sand to within 120 yards of the green.
But now stripped of the greatest weapon in his arsenal, Garcia lacked any real attacking power. Forced to take his three-wood off the third, playing the third easiest hole on the course this week, Garcia had to settle for bogey.
Garcia was seen wandering down the fairway carrying playing partner Jon Rahm’s bag
Garcia and fellow LIV Golf star Rahm have struggled at Augusta, sneaking through the cut
The on-tee eruption from Garcia was the latest incident in a long rap sheet of behavioral issues for Garcia. He was once disqualified at the 2019 Saudi International for ‘serious misconduct’ after purposefully damaging several greens the day after having a meltdown in a bunker.
It was also the latest indictment of LIV’s demise. Garcia, like his fellow Saudi-backed comrades, has been a pale impression of the man who outdueled Justin Rose for the green jacket nine years ago.
That 2017 victory alone is why the former champion is even in the field this week. He has been anonymous on the major stages since, failing to post a single top 10.
Garcia and his fellow LIV rebels have sunken into obscurity among The Masters field this week. The golfing titans are now largely has-beens.
Take playing partner and countryman Rahm, for instance. It is hard to shake the urge that his career has been stuck in reverse since he captured his own green jacket in 2023. He also barely snuck through to the weekend, as did Dustin Johnson and Charl Schwartzel.
Tyrrell Hatton was the breakaway’s only ray of light following the first two rounds. His six-under 66 to shoot into contention and lead the LIV charge. But even he has slunk backwards, his even-par on Saturday far from enough to keep pace with McIlroy and Cameron Young heading into Sunday.
Garcia’s outburst came after Robert MacIntyre had already risked the wrath of the green jackets this week.
The Scottish star found himself in hot water after cursing and flipping his middle finger during a foul-mouthed first round of The Masters.
