A frustrating drive tests the patience of even the world’s best golfers.
During the final round of the 2026 Masters Tournament on Sunday, April 12, Sergio Garcia let his emotions get the best of him, slamming his driver on the tee box, then a nearby cooler, after his shot off the tee faded into a sand trap.
“This was the frustrated Sergio,” said the ESPN announcer during a replay of Garcia’s emotional crash out. “He hits the ground, and then that driver is done for the day.”
Garcia could be seen carrying his now-broken driver, its head nearly ripped off the club.
The shot came on the second hole at Augusta National.
The frustrations quickly turned into a lighthearted moment, as Garcia seemingly punished himself for the emotional outburst by carrying Jon Rahm’s clubs down the fairway — a task typically set aside for the caddies.
Garcia — the 2017 Masters champion — is not allowed to replace his driver for the remainder of his tournament since it was damaged because of abuse, per the Rules of Golf.
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.
The infraction came after Garcia’s bogey on the first hole of the final round. On hole No. 2 — even with the frustrating drive — Garcia salvaged par, then bogeyed holes three and four.
Through 16 holes in the final round, Garcia is 52nd in the standings.
Garcia seemed to have calmed down since that early outburst, but has been known to wear his emotions on his sleeve on the course in the past.
During last year’s Open Championship, Garcia destroyed his driver in frustration and had to play the final 16 holes without the club (and still shot a 3-under 68).
In 2019, he was disqualified from the Saudi International for damaging greens out of frustration.
On the other end of the Masters scoreboard, Rory McIlroy and Cam Young are currently tied for first heading into the final round. The golfers are paired together and will tee off at 2:25 p.m. ET.
McIlroy held a historic six-stroke lead through the first two rounds of the tournament (the largest lead in Masters history after 36 holes), but Young’s spectacular third round play closed the gap, setting up what’s sure to be a dramatic finish to the iconic tournament.
“It feels pretty good. It’s a place that I love,” Young said after his round on Saturday, April 11, his best-ever at Augusta National. “This is my fifth Masters, and every time I come back it’s a special place to be.”
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