Sergio Garcia has been slammed and faced calls to be hit with a lifetime ban from Augusta National after his shocking outburst at the Masters.
The 2017 Masters champion reacted furiously after his tee shot ended up in the bunker on the second hole of the final round on Monday morning (AEST).
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Garcia ripped up the turf after repeatedly slamming his club into the turf.
He then smashed a cooler box next to the tee, snapping the head off the driver’s shaft.
The incident was met with criticism from golf pundits and fans, some of whom demanded he be banned from playing at the Masters in future.
ESPN star Mike Greenberg has called for Garcia’s lifetime exemption to be revoked, claiming he disrespected the tournament.
He said: “A lifetime exemption is a privilege extended by Augusta to its champions out of respect.
“If that respect is not reciprocated, there is no law that says a past champ cannot be banned.
“I’m not sure they should have Sergio Garcia back after the garbage he pulled today.”
Several fans shared the same sentiment with one saying: “Garcia should be banned from the course for LIFE.”
Another added: “Tell him he is not welcome back to the Masters and to stick to his toy tour.”
A third commented: “Respect the course and those who work to keep it pristine.
“Sergio has a history of disrespecting courses by tearing them up this way. He’s awful. Augusta should ban him.”
As a former champion Garcia, 46, receives an invitation each year to play the tournament.
That is how he qualified for this year’s competition, having slipped out of the top 50 in the world rankings and last winning on the PGA Tour in 2020 at the Sanderson Farms Championship.
Garcia’s on-course antics have got him into hot water in recent years – he broke another driver at The Open last July and rowed with officials at the 2022 Wells Fargo Championship.
Masters officials hit him with a code of conduct warning following his outburst on the second hole.
Garcia made the cut at Augusta but finished in 52nd place after hitting eight over par.
