Garcia Issues Apology for Outburst at The Masters

Sergio Garcia has offered a formal apology for his on-course outburst during the final round of The Masters tournament. The incident occurred when Garcia became frustrated after a poor drive on the second hole, resulting in him damaging the turf and breaking his driver against a bench. In a statement posted on social media, Garcia expressed his regret, stating, 'I want to apologize for my actions at The Masters. I have immense respect for the tournament and Augusta National Golf Club, and my behavior was unacceptable.' Garcia received a code-of-conduct warning from Geoff Yang, chairman of The Masters competitions committee, following the incident. This warning was issued under the new conduct policy introduced at The Masters this year. Garcia, the 2017 Masters champion, had a disappointing start to his round with a bogey, followed by a weak fade on the par-five second hole that headed towards the bunker. His frustration boiled over as he slammed his driver into the turf and then smashed it against a wooden bench, causing damage to the club. When questioned about the incident, Garcia declined to discuss the details, stating, 'I'm not going to tell you.' He also refrained from apologizing for his behavior after completing his round with a 75, finishing 52nd among the 54 players who made the cut. Garcia's record at The Masters since his 2017 win has been underwhelming, with six missed cuts in eight appearances. He attributed his poor performance to 'bad golf' and 'bad shots.' This is not the first time Garcia has been involved in an on-course incident, having been disqualified in 2019 for damaging greens during the Saudi International. The PGA Tour has been developing its code-of-conduct policy, which The Masters was the first tournament to implement. A second violation of the policy would result in a two-shot penalty, while a third violation would lead to disqualification.