Sergio Garcia has expressed remorse for his outburst during the final round of The Masters. Following a poor drive on the second hole, Garcia ripped up the turf and then broke his driver against a bench. In a social media post, Garcia stated, "I want to apologize for my actions at The Masters tournament.
I have immense respect and appreciation for The Masters and Augusta National Golf Club, and I regret my behavior, which has no place in our game." Garcia's actions prompted Geoff Yang, chairman of The Masters competitions committee, to issue a code-of-conduct warning on the fourth tee. The incident occurred when Garcia 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 club into the turf and smashed it against a wooden bench, causing damage to the club. Garcia declined to discuss the details of the warning, saying, "I'm not going to tell you." When asked about it again, he replied, "Next question." Garcia did not apologize for his behavior after his round, stating, "Just obviously not super proud of it, but sometimes it happens." 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.
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 would result in a two-shot penalty, while a third violation would mean disqualification.