Masters 2026: Sergio Garcia damages tee box, breaks driver in Sunday Masters outburst
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Sergio Garcia damaged the second tee box Sunday morning during the final round of the Masters, followed by breaking his driver after an errant shot.
The LIV Golf member and 2017 Masters champion made the cut this week at Augusta National, although began the day 16 shots back of co-leaders Rory McIlroy and Cameron Young. His fortunes did not improve early in Round 4, bogeying the first before spraying his drive at the second right. The ball was still in flight when the Spaniard angrily took two swipes at the turf, taking chunks out of the teeing ground in the process.
Garcia then walked to a cooler right of the tee box and swung his driver at it, snapping the head off his club.
Two holes later, the Masters' chairman of the competition committee Geoff Yang delivered a code of conduct warning to Garcia.
After his round, Garcia said it was a culmination of frustration throughtout the year. "Just obviously not super proud of it, but sometimes it happens." Garcia did not elaborate what was said to him on the fourth hole.
The incident is the latest in a career of behavior issues for Garcia, who once was disqualified at the 2019 Saudi International for “serious misconduct” after purposefully damaging several greens the day after having a meltdown in a bunker. Three years later, Garcia signed with the Saudi-backed LIV circuit … weeks after throwing a temper tantum at a rules official at a PGA Tour event.
Garcia is in the field thanks to winning the 2017 Masters. However, Garcia has been irrelevant on the major stages since capturing the green jacket, failing to post a single top 10.