AUGUSTA, Ga. — Former Masters champion Sergio Garcia remained tight-lipped with the media following Sunday’s disappointing final round at Augusta National.
However, his explosive behavior on the golf course spoke volumes about his current state of mind.
An early-round breakdown on the second hole resulted in Garcia destroying his driver and earning himself an official conduct violation warning from tournament officials.
The Spanish golfer acknowledged that his outburst stemmed from ongoing struggles this season with his Fireballs team, which currently sits eighth out of 13 teams in LIV Golf competition, rather than issues specific to the Masters tournament.
“Just obviously not super proud of it, but sometimes it happens,” Garcia said.
After dropping a stroke on the opening hole — the first of five bogeys he would record during the round — Garcia stepped up to the tee at the second hole. When his drive headed straight toward a fairway bunker, the golfer immediately took two aggressive swings at the ground in anger.
Still not satisfied after damaging his club, Garcia proceeded to slam the broken driver against a nearby cooling station before completely removing the dangling clubhead himself.
Ironically, the par-5 second hole became the only one among Garcia’s opening four holes where he managed to avoid dropping a shot, as he went on to record bogeys on both the third and fourth holes.
Following his performance on the fourth hole, Augusta National’s competition committee chairman Geoff Yang approached Garcia to deliver the conduct warning.
When asked about Yang’s conversation with him, Garcia declined to elaborate, stating, “I’m not going to tell you.”
Garcia’s final-round 75, three shots over par, left him at 8-over for the tournament and tied for the third-worst score among players who made the weekend cut. Only Denmark’s Rasmus Hojgaard (10 over) and South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel (12 over) finished with higher scores.
“Well, if you don’t hit good shots, you’re not going to score well here,” Garcia said. “It’s very simple.”
While Garcia’s struggles may have been particularly painful given his status as a former Masters winner, his poor showing continues a troubling pattern at Augusta National. Since capturing the green jacket in 2017, Garcia has failed to make the cut in six of his eight Masters appearances. His best result during that period was a tie for 23rd place in 2022.
