Sergio Garcia has apologised for his behaviour during the final round of the Masters, after he damaged the turf on the second hole and broke his driver against a bench. The incident prompted a code-of-conduct warning from tournament officials, the first time such a policy has been enforced at Augusta National.
In a social media post on Tuesday, Garcia said: 'I want to apologise for my actions Sunday at The Masters tournament. 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.' He added that his actions did not reflect his respect for the tournament, patrons, officials and fans.
The 2017 champion began his round with a bogey before hitting a weak fade on the par-5 second hole. In frustration, he slammed his driver into the turf, then broke it against a wooden bench. Geoff Yang, chairman of the Masters competitions committee, issued the warning on the fourth tee. Garcia initially declined to discuss the warning, saying 'I’m not going to tell you' and 'Next question' when pressed.
Garcia has not recorded a top-10 finish in 29 majors since his playoff victory over Justin Rose in 2017, and has missed the cut in six of his eight Masters appearances since. When asked about his form, he simply said 'Bad golf' and 'Bad shots'. This is not his first controversy; he was disqualified in 2019 at the Saudi International for damaging greens, and has had past outbursts including kicking his shoe towards an official in 2001.
The PGA Tour has been developing the code-of-conduct policy over recent years, with the Masters being the first tournament to implement it. The PGA Championship will also use the policy next month. Under the new rules, a second violation incurs a two-shot penalty, while a third results in disqualification.
