Garcia Offers Apology for Outburst at The Masters

Sergio Garcia has issued an apology for his outburst during the final round of The Masters tournament. The incident occurred when Garcia became frustrated with his game, tearing up the turf after a poor drive on the second hole and subsequently breaking his driver against a bench. In a post on social media, Garcia expressed his regret, stating, "I want to apologize for my actions at The Masters tournament. I have respect and appreciation for The Masters, Augusta National Golf Club, and the patrons, which my behavior did not reflect." Garcia received a code-of-conduct warning from Geoff Yang, chairman of The Masters competitions committee, on the fourth tee, as part of the tournament's new conduct policy. The policy, which was introduced this year, outlines consequences for violating the code of conduct, including a two-shot penalty for a second violation and disqualification for a third. Garcia's actions were a result of a weak fade on the par-five second hole that headed towards the bunker, leading to his frustration. The 2017 champion began with a bogey and struggled throughout his round, eventually finishing in 52nd place among the 54 players who made the cut. Garcia has not finished in the top 10 in the 29 majors he has played since his win at Augusta National in 2017 and has missed the cut six times in eight appearances at The Masters since his victory. When asked about his record, Garcia attributed it to "bad golf" and "bad shots." This incident is not the first time Garcia has been involved in a controversy, having been disqualified in 2019 at the Saudi International for damaging greens in frustration and having a history of angry outbursts on the course.