Sergio García’s return to the scene of his greatest triumph has not been a happy one this weekend. The 2017 Masters champion made the cut at Augusta but on Sunday vented his frustration after a poor opening shot on the second hole by slamming his club into the ground before snapping off its head when he smashed it into a nearby cooler.
Masters officials are known for strictly enforcing rules and García was given a code of conduct warning for his outburst. A second code of conduct breach would result in a two-shot penalty and a third would lead to disqualification.
Shortly after his outburst, García picked up and carried clubs belonging to his playing partner, Jon Rahm, as Rahm’s caddie raked the bunker.
García is not the first golfer to find himself in trouble with officials at this year’s tournament. Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre was reprimanded when he showed the middle finger to spectators after he hit a shot into the water on Thursday.
García started the day 16 shots behind the tournament’s leaders, Rory McIlroy and Cameron Young. Although he made par on the second hole he bogeyed three of the first four on Sunday, slipping further back into the field.
The 46-year-old is known for his temper. At last year’s Open Championship at Royal Portrush, the Spaniard was forced to play most of his final round without his driver after he slammed the club into the ground and broke it on the second hole. In 2019, he was disqualified from a tournament in Saudi Arabia after he damaged several greens in frustration. In 2022, he got into a confrontation with an official at the Wells Fargo Championship after a dispute over a lost ball. During the argument, García said: “A couple of more weeks, I don’t have to deal with you any more.” He subsequently left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf.
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