Garcia Issues Apology for Outburst at Masters Tournament

Sergio Garcia has expressed remorse for his behavior during the final round of the Masters. Following a disappointing drive on the second hole, Garcia became frustrated and damaged the turf, then proceeded to break his driver against a bench. In a post on social media, Garcia stated, "I would like to apologize for my actions at the Masters tournament. I have immense respect for the Masters and Augusta National Golf Club, and I regret my behavior, which does not reflect my appreciation for the tournament, its patrons, officials, and golf enthusiasts worldwide." Garcia received a code-of-conduct warning from Geoff Yang, chairman of the Masters competitions committee, on the fourth tee, as part of the newly implemented conduct policy at the Masters this year. The incident occurred when Garcia, the 2017 champion, began with a bogey and hit a weak fade on the par-five second hole, which was headed towards the bunker. He then slammed his driver onto the tee and into the turf, and subsequently struck it against a wooden bench, causing damage to the club. Garcia declined to discuss the details of the warning, stating, "I'm not going to tell you," and when asked again, replied, "Next question." After completing his round with a 75 to finish 52nd among the 54 players who made the cut, Garcia did not apologize for his behavior, saying, "Just obviously not super proud of it, but sometimes it happens." Garcia has not finished in the top 10 in the 29 majors he has played since his victory at Augusta National in 2017 and has missed the cut six times in eight appearances at the Masters since his win. When asked about his record, Garcia attributed it to "bad golf" and "bad shots." This is not the first instance of Garcia's frustration getting the better of him; in 2019, he was disqualified from the Saudi International for damaging greens, and he has also been involved in other incidents, including kicking off his shoe during a tee shot at the World Match Play in 2001 and spitting into a cup during a World Golf Championship at Doral. The PGA Tour has been developing its code-of-conduct policy over the past few years, and the Masters was the first tournament to implement it. A second violation during the tournament would result in a two-shot penalty, while a third violation would lead to disqualification. The PGA Championship, scheduled to take place next month at Aronimink Golf Club, will also enforce this policy.