[Photo: Augusta National]
Two days after breaking his driver and damaging a tee in a fit of rage during the final round of the Masters, Sergio Garcia issued an apology for his actions.
Garcia, the 2017 Masters champion, took to social media overnight to ask for forgiveness.
“I want to apologise for my actions on Sunday at the Masters Tournament,” he wrote. “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. It doesn’t reflect the respect and appreciation I have for the Masters, the patrons, tournament officials and golf fans around the world.”
— Sergio Garcia (@TheSergioGarcia) April 14, 2026
After making a bogey on the first hole to open the final round, Garcia hit a wayward drive on the par-5 second hole, the ball eventually landing in a fairway bunker. The 46-year-old Spaniard proceeded to slam his driver into the ground on the tee twice, taking chunks of turf out in the process. He then walked toward a cooler on the right of the tee box and swung his driver at it, snapping the shaft near the clubhead.
It didn’t take long for Garcia’s actions to be shared via social media. Two holes later, Geoff Yang, the Masters competition committee chairman, spoke to Garcia, delivering a code of conduct warning according to broadcast commentators and the Associated Press.
Garcia played the rest of the round without his driver, hitting 3-wood off several tees. He went on to shoot a three-over 75 and finished the tournament 52nd out of the 54 players who made the cut, with a score of eight-over-par 296.
Immediately after the round, Garcia spoke with the media but offered short answers to a series of questions. “Just obviously not super-proud of it, but sometimes it happens,” when asked about the incident, suggestion it was built-up frustration over the course of the year in which he’s had just one top-10 finish in five starts on the LIV Golf circuit and three times has come in outside the top 30.
When a reporter followed up with a question about what Yang told him on the course, Garcia said: “I’m not going to tell you.” Later asked specifically if he got a warning on the fourth hole, Garcia replied: “Next question, please.”
Garcia’s conduct, and his seeming lack of contrition in the aftermath, continued to be a point of debate after the conclusion of the tournament. Enough so, apparently, for Garcia to feel compelled to offer the Tuesday apology.
Making the question of whether Garcia received a warning more relevant is that the PGA Tour developed a code-of-conduct policy that the Masters had in effect. The PGA Championship will too, and should Garcia receive another a code-of-conduct warning at Aronimink Golf Club, he could be subject to a two-shot penalty. A third violation could mean disqualification.
Garcia has a history of volatile moments on the golf course. At last year’s Open Championship at Royal Portrush, he broke his driver after slamming it into the ground on the second hole in the final round. In 2019, he was disqualified from the Saudi International for damaging greens.
