Garcia Offers Apology for Outburst at The Masters

Sergio Garcia has expressed remorse for his outburst during the final round of The Masters. Following a poor drive on the second hole, Garcia damaged the turf and then broke his driver by slamming it against a bench. In a social media post, Garcia stated, "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 golf community, and my behavior was not reflective of these values." Garcia received 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 begun the round with a bogey and hit a weak fade on the par-five second hole, which was headed towards the bunker. He then slammed his club into the turf and later smacked 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 immediately after his round, stating, "Just obviously not super proud of it, but sometimes it happens." Garcia has not had a top-10 finish in the 29 majors he has played since his 2017 win at Augusta National. He 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." The PGA Tour has been developing a 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 will also be using this policy next month at Aronimink Golf Club.