After a frustrating final round at the 2026 Masters, Sergio Garcia is explaining his outburst that resulted in the golfer destroying his driver.
“Obviously not super proud of it,” Garcia told reporters on Sunday, April 12, during a chippy press conference after he finished the tournament. “But sometimes it happens.”
Garcia said his frustrations have been building “through the year,” as he’s struggled to find the success of that 2017 season that included him securing the coveted Masters green jacket.
“It is what it is,” he said of his 2026 performance. “And you just have to deal with it.”
Garcia was short with some reporters during the scrum, visibly frustrated by his performance in the final round. When asked about what he was told by officials on the fourth hole after his outburst, he quipped, “I’m not going to tell you,” before quickly moving on.
Later on, he dodged a question about whether or not he was given a conduct warning.
“Next question please,” he said.
At hole No. 2 earlier in the day, Garcia let his emotions get the best of him, slamming his driver on the tee box after his initial shot. He then took the driver and slammed it on a cooler as his ball faded into a sand trap, nearly snapping the club’s head off.
Per the Rules of Golf, he was not allowed to use his driver for the rest of the round since it was damaged as the result of abuse.
He was also issued an official code of conduct warning from the chairman of the competitions committee, Geoff Yang, who spoke to Garcia at the fourth hole. Per the code of conduct, a second violation amounts to a two-shot penalty, and a third means disqualification.
After the shot, Garcia was seen carrying his playing partner Jon Rahm’s bag in a humorous moment — a job typically reserved for a caddie.
Garcia brushed off the moment after the round.
“There was nothing,” he said. “Adam [Hayes, Rahm’s caddie] stopped to rake my bunker and Benjie, my caddie, was carrying both bags. So I told him, ‘Just leave it. Put it down. I’ll get it.’ … It was as simple as that.”
Garcia had another short answer for reporters when he was asked if he could pinpoint what was going on with his game, specifically at Augusta National.
“Bad golf,” he said simply.
Anything specific?
“Bad shots.”
“If you don’t hit good shots, you’re not going to score well here,” he eventually elaborated. “It’s very simple.”
Garcia finished the round three-over-par and was +8 for the tournament.
