Sergio Garcia apologizes for damaging Masters tee box after poor drive

Sergio Garcia snapped the shaft off of his driver during the final round Sunday morning. Michael Madrid / Imagn Images Share full articleTwo days after Sergio Garcia angrily damaged the turf of the second hole’s tee box at Augusta National, he apologized for his actions. “I respect and value everything that The Masters and Augusta National Golf Club is to golf,” Garcia said Tuesday in a statement on X. “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.” After a poor drive Sunday, Garcia windmilled his driver into the tee box twice and left behind a noticeable divot. Augusta National later repaired the damage. He was also captured on footage smacking the driver against a nearby cooler, causing the club’s head to snap off the shaft. Garcia couldn’t replace his driver because it was damaged by abuse, a USGA rule. The Associated Press reported that Geoff Yang, the chairman of Augusta National’s competitions committee, met Garcia on the fourth hole and issued a code of conduct warning for the display at the second hole. A second violation would have resulted in a two-shot penalty, and a third would mean automatic disqualification. “Just obviously not super proud of it, but sometimes it happens,” Garcia said Sunday when asked about the incident after his round, a 75 that left him at 8-over and 52nd out of 54 competitors to make the cut. Garcia’s second-hole drive Sunday traveled 320 yards into the right fairway bunker, where he was able to save par. This was not the 46-year-old’s first incident on a course. In 2019, Garcia was disqualified from the Saudi International for intentionally damaging the greens at Royal Greens Golf Club and Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City. He became frustrated and dragged the sole of his shoe across the top of the putting surface. Garcia also broke his driver in the final round of the 2025 Open Championship at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland after slamming the club in frustration. He finished the final 16 holes without a driver and posted a 3-under 68. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Zachary Powell is a staff editor on the News team. Before joining The Athletic, he served as a sports editor in Pennsylvania where he guided the newspaper to win a 2024 Keystone Media Award. He is a graduate of Indiana University-Indianapolis. Follow Zach on Twitter @RealZachPowell