Sergio Garcia, the 2017 Masters champion, issued an apology on Tuesday for his conduct during the final round of this year's tournament. The incident occurred on the second hole when Garcia, frustrated after hitting his tee shot into a bunker, smashed his driver into the ground multiple times and later struck a water cooler, breaking the club. Garcia finished the round without a driver, posting a three-over-par 75 to end the tournament at eight over, ranking 52nd out of 54 players who made the cut.
Garcia was issued a code of conduct warning by a Masters official at the fourth hole. In his apology posted on X, Garcia expressed regret for his actions, stating, 'I respect and value everything that The Masters and Augusta National Golf Club is to Golf. I regret the way I acted, and it has no place in our game.'
The incident drew criticism from fans and commentators, with some calling for stricter penalties. Garcia has struggled in majors since his 2017 victory, missing the cut six of eight times and failing to finish in the top 10 in any of the 29 majors he has competed in since his win. This is not the first time Garcia has faced disciplinary action; in 2019, he was disqualified from the Saudi International for damaging greens.