Garcia Offers Apology for Outburst at Masters Tournament

Sergio Garcia has issued an apology for his on-course outburst during the final round of The Masters. The incident occurred after a disappointing drive on the second hole, prompting Garcia to damage the turf and break his driver against a bench. In a social media post, Garcia expressed regret for his actions, stating, "I want to apologise for my actions at The Masters tournament. 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." Garcia's behavior led to a code-of-conduct warning from Geoff Yang, chairman of The Masters competitions committee, on the fourth tee. This warning was part of a new conduct policy introduced at The Masters this year. Garcia, the 2017 champion, had a difficult start to his round, beginning with a bogey and then hitting a weak fade on the par-five second hole. He reacted by slamming his club into the turf and then smacking it against a wooden bench, causing damage to the club. When questioned about the incident, Garcia declined to discuss the details, saying, "I'm not going to tell you." He also did not apologize for his behavior after his round, simply stating, "Just obviously not super proud of it, but sometimes it happens." Garcia has struggled to replicate his 2017 success, failing to finish in the top 10 in the 29 majors he has played since his win at Augusta National. He has missed the cut six times in eight appearances at The Masters since his victory. Garcia's history of on-course outbursts includes being disqualified in 2019 at the Saudi International for damaging greens and angrily kicking off his shoe during a tee shot at the World Match Play in 2001. The PGA Tour has been developing a code-of-conduct policy, which The Masters was the first tournament to implement. A second violation during the tournament results in a two-shot penalty, while a third violation leads to disqualification.