AUGUSTA, Ga. — Sergio García broke his driver on the second hole at Augusta National following an outburst on the tee box, then lightened the mood later on that same hole by carrying fellow Spaniard Jon Rahm’s clubs for a short time on Sunday during the Masters.
The pairing of García and Rahm, both countrymen and former champions, was always expected to generate some excitement, even with both players out of contention. Then García added to the drama.
The 2017 Masters champion appeared frustrated on his follow-through when his opening shot of the day veered significantly to the right. After a bogey on the first hole, García lost his composure on the second tee box, striking the ground with his club twice after hitting a shot that landed in the bunker. He seemed to cause damage to the teeing area.
Subsequently, García walked to the back of the tee box and struck his driver against a cooler, breaking the head off the shaft in the process.
According to the Rules of Golf, García will not be permitted to replace his driver since it was damaged due to misconduct.
In the final round of last year’s Open Championship at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, García also broke his driver in frustration on the second hole by slamming it into the ground. He completed the remaining 16 holes without a driver and recorded a 3-under 68.
García was also disqualified in 2019 at the Saudi International for damaging greens out of frustration.
Later on that same hole, the situation turned humorous when García began carrying Rahm’s bag while Rahm’s caddie was attending to a bunker.
García did manage to make par on the second hole before recording bogeys on the third and fourth holes.
Information from ESPN’s Mark Schlabach and The Associated Press was utilized in this report.
