Scandal at the US Masters 2026: Sergio García destroys Driver and tee box

Augusta National is a place of Traditions and strict etiquette. But on the final Sunday of the 2026 US Masters, the venerable silence was shattered by an unprecedented outburst of rage. At the center of the action: Spanish former champion Sergio García, who not only destroyed his equipment but also almost shattered his reputation as a gentleman golfer.

The freak-out at the tee box: damage to property at the US Masters 2026

The final round was underway on Sunday morning when the mood changed at the second hole (Par 5). After his drive drifted dangerously far to the right into the fairway bunker, the 46-year-old Spaniard completely lost his composure. García smashed his Driver twice into the bottom of the tee box with full force, leaving deep craters in the sacred Augusta turf.

But that was not all: in passing, he smashed his club against a metal cool box on the edge of the tee box. The shaft buckled and the club head dangled by a thread until García finally snapped it off himself. As the damage was deliberate and not caused in the normal course of play, the Spaniard's bag was left without a Driver for the remaining 16 holes - a huge blow to the rest of the US Masters 2026.

Read here how much prize money the participants earned at the US Masters 2026.

Historic penalty: The first official warning at the US Masters 2026

The misconduct was not without consequences. For the first time in the tournament's long history, the officials resorted to a new disciplinary instrument. On the fourth hole, García was intercepted by Geoff Yang, the chairman of the competition committee.

As the Associated Press and Yahoo Sports both reported, García was given an official warning for violating the code of conduct. In the new three-tier system of the US Masters 2026, a second violation would have resulted in two penalty strokes and a third in immediate disqualification. García himself was his usual cagey self after the round. When asked what Yang had told him, he replied curtly: "I'm not going to tell you."

Between frustration and comedy: García as caddie for Jon Rahm

While the Greenkeepers were busy hastily repairing the damage to the second tee box, the spectators were treated to a bizarre sight shortly afterwards. In a moment of rare looseness, García suddenly shouldered the heavy Tour bag of his fellow player Jon Rahm. As Rahm's caddie was still busy raking the Bunker, García helped out without further ado.

It was a curious contrast: a frustrated ex-champion who had demolished the course seconds earlier and was now trudging across the Fairway of the 2026 US Masters as an assistant caddie. Rahm himself later expressed sympathy for his compatriot: "It wasn't the easiest day for him. I tried to talk to him when I could to lift his spirits a little."

A pattern of destruction: García's image at the 2026 US Masters suffers

For experts, this outburst does not come as a complete surprise, but the intensity on this stage was new. García had already destroyed a Driver at the 2025 Open Championship. Critics are harsh on him. ESPN pundit Mike Greenberg even questioned the 2017 champion's right to compete for life: "A lifetime invitation is a privilege... If that respect isn't reciprocated, there's no law that says a former champion can't be banned."

García finished the US Masters 2026 with a round of 75 and an overall score of +8 in a tie for 52nd place. His conclusion was as dry as the Fairways at Augusta: "Bad golf. Bad weather. Just bad shots." It remains to be seen whether the Spaniard will receive another invitation to Georgia next year or whether his behavior at the US Masters 2026 will have long-term consequences. One thing is certain: this final Sunday will go down in history as one of the darkest moments in García's already eventful career.