On Wednesday, the day before Masters 2026 started, 2017 Masters champion Sergio Garcia was asked if there are any holes or shots in the Augusta National Golf Club where he really needs to dial in his mental preparation.
“Yes, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18,” Garcia said. “This course tests you every single hole. When the wind blows, the wind changes and it’s really, really tricky. It’s testing you every hole.”
The par-5 2 tested Garcia on Sunday.
Garcia opened the week with rounds of 72, 75 and 74 and started the final round on the third par of the day. Garcia birdied the first hole and put it into the fairway bunker.
Enraged, he made two hard swipes at the ground, knocking his barge over with the first and removing a large chunk of the limp area with the second.
But he did not pass. For his final act, he slammed his driver into the bottom of the water cooler, snapping the shaft inches above the clubhead. (For some reason that remains unclear, he was also carrying his playing partner Jon Rahm’s bag down the second fairway.) Garcia made par but bogeyed the next two holes. Live broadcast coverage later showed workers fixing the cargo box.
Sergio Garcia reprimanded by Masters official
AP sportswriter Doug Ferguson reported that Geoff Yangthe chairman of the competition committee, spoke to Garcia on the 4th hole and gave him a code of conduct warning.
Garcia, 46, has just one top 10 in five LIV Golf starts this season, and in his seven Masters appearances since his win, he has lost six times. On Monday, before his comments about the testing nature of holes 1 through 18, he said he wasn’t “too happy” with his game but was working on it.
“We’ll see what happens throughout the week,” he said. “Yeah, I’m not feeling amazing at the moment.”
After his first round Thursday, he said he hit some good shots, but also some terrible ones.
“I’m not going to lie – I would have gotten 72 before I started the round the way I played,” he said.
“It’s tough, but that’s the way we want Augusta to play,” he added later. “Don’t get me wrong. That’s the way it’s meant to be played. It’s not meant to be easy. You know, obviously Augusta is always difficult with the wind because it’s just constantly changing and you have to be so precise with every single shot that makes it even more difficult. Then when the greens get fast and hard like they are now, it’s just a way to play, but it’s a test.”
