“‘Not My Finest Moment’: Sergio Garcia Destroys Club, Receives Warning During Masters Outburst”

Sergio Garcia experienced a moment of frustration at Augusta National when he broke his driver on the second hole following a heated exchange at the tee box. This incident led to him receiving a code of conduct warning—a first in the history of the Masters.

However, the Spanish golfer lightened the mood shortly after by temporarily shouldering the clubs of compatriot Jon Rahm.

The pairing of Garcia and Rahm, both former champions currently on the LIV Golf circuit, was always likely to draw attention, even as both players found themselves out of the running for the title. Yet, Garcia’s dramatic outburst certainly added to the day’s spectacle.

The 2017 Masters champion seemed visibly frustrated after his opening shot veered sharply to the right, resulting in a bogey on the first hole.

Things escalated on the par-5 second hole when his tee shot headed towards the bunker, prompting Garcia to lose his cool.

In a display of frustration, he drove his club into the ground not once but twice and attempted to strike a table topped with a green cooler. This outburst left the head of his driver hanging from the shaft, and in a moment of rage, Garcia simply yanked it off.

Geoff Yang, the competitions committee chairman, approached Garcia on the fourth tee and issued the warning regarding his conduct.

Garcia chose not to share details of their conversation, simply stating to reporters, “I’m not going to tell you.”

The PGA Tour is currently implementing a code of conduct policy for competitions, with the Masters being the inaugural event to enforce it, as confirmed by a source involved in the process.

This individual spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to respect Augusta National’s operation of the event.

The PGA Championship is also set to adopt this policy, which is expected to be implemented at the other two major tournaments as well. The individual noted that a second violation would incur a two-shot penalty, while a third would result in disqualification.

“I’m just obviously not super proud of it,” Garcia admitted.

“But sometimes it happens.”

This isn’t the first time Garcia has faced penalties for poor behaviour; he was disqualified in 2019 at the Saudi International for damaging greens in a fit of frustration.

Garcia has a history of outbursts, including kicking off his shoe in anger after slipping during a tee shot at the World Match Play in 2001—an incident that nearly hit an official. He also once spat into a cup during a World Golf Championship at Doral after a three-putt mishap.

For the remainder of the final round at Augusta National, Garcia played without a driver and seemed to regain his composure.

“It makes it very easy,” he remarked.

“I just have to hit 3-wood all the time. I didn’t have to choose another club.”

Shortly after his outburst on the tee box, Garcia’s antics took a lighter turn as he began carrying Rahm’s bag while Rahm’s caddie tended to the bunker.

The crowd cheered as Rahm reclaimed his bag from Garcia and started carrying it himself, while caddie Adam Hayes rushed to rejoin the pair.

“There was nothing going on,” Garcia explained.

“Adam stopped to rake my bunker, and Benji (Thompson), my caddie, was carrying both bags, so I told him, ‘Just put it down; I’ll handle it so you can get a yardage.’ Just that simple.”

Garcia finished the second hole with a par but unfortunately bogeyed the following two holes, ultimately carding a 75.

“If you don’t hit good shots, you’re not going to score well here. It’s really that straightforward.”