Sergio Garcia belatedly apologises for Masters meltdown

Former Masters champion Sergio Garcia has finally apologised for his outburst of anger during the final round of the first men's major of the year. 

Garcia lost his temper on the second hole of Augusta National last Sunday. 

The 2017 green jacket winner tore up the turf on the tee box after hitting a bad drive. 

Seconds later, Garcia then broke his driver against the bottom of a water cooler. 

Garcia was spoken to by Geoff Yang, chairman of the Masters' competition committee, and issued a code of conduct warning. 

When asked about what transpired after his round, Garcia decided not to apologise for his petulant behaviour. 

But he has now issued a statement on his social media channels, insisting the moment doesn't reflect the appreciation he has for the tournament, the patrons, tournament officials and golf fans around the world. 

"I want to apologise for my actions at the Masters Tournament," Garcia said in a social media post.

"I respect and value everything that the Masters and Augusta National Golf Club is to golf. 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."

Garcia had initially declined to discuss what was said by Yang, telling reporters: "I'm not going to tell you."

When pressed further, Garcia said: "Next question."

He did concede, though, that he was "not super proud of it", adding: "But sometimes it happens". 

Garcia eventually posted a score of 75 and finished 52nd of the 54 players that made the cut. 

He was one of 10 LIV Golf players who played in the 2026 Masters. 

Five LIV players made the cut. Tyrrell Hatton was the best performer from the breakaway league, finishing in a share of third, followed by Dustin Johnson (T33). 

Jon Rahm started with an uncharacteristic 76, rallied to make the cut, and ultimately finished in a share of 38th. 

Bubba Watson, Bryson DeChambeau, Tom McKibbin, Cameron Smith and Carlos Ortiz missed the cut. 

Smith has now missed six cuts in a row in the major championships. 

As for Garcia, he has struggled in the majors since beating Justin Rose in a playoff at Augusta in 2017. 

He has not finished inside the top 10 in the 29 majors he has played since. 

Garcia has also missed the cut at the Masters six times in his previous eight appearances. 

When asked about his record, Garcia said, "Bad golf."

"Bad golf shots," came the reply when one reporter asked to be more specific. 

Garcia indicated in an interview with Spanish media last week that he would consider retirement soon if results didn't start to turn. 

Rahm urged Garcia not to talk nonsense and get back to his best.

Throughout his career, Garcia has been involved in several controversies over his conduct on the course. 

He was disqualified in 2019 at the Saudi International for intentionally damaging greens in frustration. 

Garcia has also spat in a cup, thrown his shoe in anger, and made a racially insensitive remark about Tiger Woods.