Sergio Garcia snaps the head of his driver in frustration after his tee shot on Hole 2 of the Masters. (0:44)
Sergio García broke his driver on No. 2 at Augusta National after an outburst on the tee box Sunday and was issued a code-of-conduct warning, a first at the Masters.
The fiery Garcia then created a lighter moment later on the same hole when he carried fellow Spaniard Jon Rahm's clubs for a bit.
The Garcia-Rahm group, which paired two countrymen and former champions both on LIV Golf, was always going to create some buzz, even with both out of contention. Then Garcia quickly brought the drama up another notch.
The 2017 Masters champion looked frustrated on his follow through when his first shot of the day went well to the right. After a bogey on No. 1, Garcia lost it on the second tee box, slamming his club into the turf twice after hitting a shot that ended up in a bunker. He appeared to damage the teeing ground.
Garcia walked to the back of the tee box and slammed his driver against a cooler, snapping the head off the shaft in the process. Under the Rules of Golf, Garcia wasn't allowed to replace his driver since it was damaged because of abuse.
According to club officials, Geoff Yang, in his role as chairman of the competitions committee, spoke to Garcia on the fourth tee and issued the code-of-conduct warning. Following his round of 3-over 75, Garcia would not divulge what Yang said to him and stopped short of apologizing for his antics.
"[I've been frustrated] through the year," said Garcia, who posted a 72-hole total of 8 over. "Yeah, just obviously not super proud of it, but sometimes it happens."
Since winning his only major title at Augusta National in 2017, Garcia has missed six Masters cuts and tied for 23rd in 2022. He was 52nd of the 54 players who made the cut when he walked off the green Sunday.
When Garcia was asked why he has played poorly in the Masters since winning a green jacket, he said, "Bad golf." Asked if there was anything specific that led him to playing bad golf, he said, "Bad shots."
The PGA Tour has been developing a code-of-conduct policy for competition, and the Masters is the first to use it, according to a person involved in the process who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity out of respect to Augusta National running the tournament.
The PGA Championship also plans to use the policy, and likely the other two majors. The person said the second violation would be a two-shot penalty, and the third violation leads to disqualification.
In last year's final round of the Open Championship at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, Garcia slammed his driver into the ground in frustration on the second hole and broke it in half. He played the final 16 holes without a driver and carded a 3-under 68.
Garcia was disqualified in 2019 at the Saudi International for damaging greens in frustration. His antics over the years include angrily kicking off his shoe when he slipped during a tee shot at the World Match Play in 2001 and the shoe nearly struck an official. He also spit into a cup during a World Golf Championship at Doral after three-putting.
Shortly after damaging the tee box on No. 2, the situation turned comical when Garcia started carrying Rahm's bag while Rahm's caddie was raking the bunker. The crowd applauded when Rahm took the bag from Garcia and started carrying it himself as caddie Adam Hayes hustled to catch up to the players.
Garcia did manage to make par on No. 2 before bogeying the third and fourth holes.
Information from ESPN's Mark Schlabach and The Associated Press was used in this report.
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