Rules are Rules
Masters 2025: Golf coach removed from practice range for violating Augusta National dress code
Arizona State head men's golf coach Matt Thurmond talks with Cameron Sisk during the 2022 Division I Men's Golf Championship.
Justin Tafoya
The history of the Masters is filled with great champions, but the list of those who have run afoul of Augusta National's (many) rules is nearly as long. And now we can add a golf coach to the latter.
That would be Arizona State men's golf coach Matt Thurmond, who was removed from the practice range on Monday for violating the tournament dress code. That's right, the dress code.
Thurmond, who coaches reigning U.S. Amateur champ Jose Luis Ballester, was on the practice range when he got the hook. For wearing shorts. Ouch.
It gets even worse, because Thurmond told Golfweek he hadn't even planned to be in the practice area, but saw former Sun Devil Kevin Yu and went to say hi. And he was promptly informed that he had to go.
To Thurmond's credit, he owned up to his mistake (Players and coaches are required to wear pants in the practice area). And he seemed to take the incident well with this Tweet:
"Strolled onto the Augusta range today with my coach badge," Thurmond wrote on X. "Got removed for wearing shorts. First bogey of the week. Celebrated with an egg salad sandwich. Pants tomorrow."
Ballester, the 21-year-old amateur from Spain, will play with reigning Masters champ Scottie Scheffler and Justin Thomas on Thursday and Friday.
"My bad, it was a mistake I made," Thurmond told Golfweek while out watching Ballester play a practice round the following day. "I want to follow the rules here when I’m at Augusta and do everything right. Lucky to be here and appreciate everything here. I just made a mistake."