Sergio Garcia made unfortunate headlines during his final round of The Masters after a ridiculous outburst.
The 46-year-old, completely out of contention, exploded on the second tee box. After he hit a drive, he smashed his driver into the ground, then smashed it against a water cooler.
He quickly received a code of conduct warning from a rules official.
Garcia now has a bit of a history of these types of outbursts. He was disqualified from the 2019 Saudi International after slamming his putter into five greens, and smashed his driver at last year’s Open Championship.
Those are just two examples in a series of incidents, but this time, he was alleged to have affected the tournament’s outcome.
Sergio Garcia slammed for ‘petulance’ at The Masters
The Sky Sports commentary team was aghast at Garcia’s behaviour, and Ewen Murray, Rich Beem, and Andrew Coltart expressed their disappointment in the 2019 Masters winner.
Murray said, “Very foolish, and within seconds of leaving that tee, the officials at Augusta National had a quiet word in his ear, and he has been reprimanded for that performance. Disappointing.”
2002 PGA Championship winner Beem responded, “We know he can be fiery and has been over his entire career. It was interesting to see the rules official out there getting in his ear. That’s not something you normally see.”
Murray went on to express his concern for the tee box for the remainder of the final round: “I think the disappointing thing, Andrew, is the fact that the second tee is no longer in the condition it was for the final round.”
Coltart said, “That’s right. The ground staff have done a terrific job of repairing the damage due to his petulance.
“It’s not the first time, of course. He was fined for a code of conduct violation on the DP World Tour several years ago when he did something similar to a bunker in the Middle East. He just runs hot from time to time.”
He continued, “I’ve got to think that reaction on the second hole today there. Maybe something else going on. You know, we look at these players from a sports person’s perspective. They’re human beings as well.
“And I don’t condone the action, but, you know, they have a life outside, and maybe there’s other things happening in his life that are inside his head, but very unusual to be that upset so early into a round.”
It’s disappointing to see that even at 46 years of age, Garcia isn’t beyond this type of behaviour.
