Sergio García was issued a warning by Masters officials after a furious outburst on the 2nd hole of the final round at Augusta National. The Spaniard, who found a bunker off the tee, slammed his driver against a water cooler, snapping the club and forcing him to play the remaining 16 holes without it.
Greenkeepers had to repair the turf after García struck the ground twice in anger. Under Augusta's new conduct policy, a warning is followed by a two-shot penalty and disqualification for a third offence. García expressed regret but downplayed the incident, saying: 'Just obviously not super-proud of it, but sometimes it happens.'
Earlier in the round, García was seen carrying the bag of playing partner Jon Rahm after Rahm's caddie stopped to rake a bunker. García explained: 'Benji, my caddie, was carrying both bags so I told him: Just put it down, I'll get it.'
García, who won the Masters in 2017, finished eight over par for the tournament. He has not recorded a top-10 finish in a major since his Augusta triumph, and he attributed his struggles to 'bad golf' and 'bad shots.'
Rahm, who finished one over par, expressed sympathy for his compatriot. 'Obviously he hasn't been swinging it the way he would like,' Rahm said. 'I talked to him when I could to lift his spirits up a little bit.'
Keegan Bradley closed with a 66 to finish three under, while Viktor Hovland's 67 left him at four under as the leading groups began their rounds.
