Rich Beem calls for Sergio Garcia to be given stern talking to after his ‘putrid’ actions at The Masters

Photo by Chris Condon/Augusta National/Getty Images

Sergio Garcia added another on-course controversy to what is an already troubling resume.

This time, the 2017 Masters winner decided the second tee box at Augusta National would face the vitriol for his poor play. Garcia slammed his driver into the ground, then smashed it into a water cooler after a poor drive.

He was given a code of conduct warning, not the first in his career by any means, and had to play without his driver for the rest of the round. Garcia has a reputation for being a fiery character during his two-decade-long career, but his behavior at Augusta was egregious.

2002 PGA Championship winner, Rich Beem, didn’t hold back when discussing Garcia’s actions afterward.

Photo by Augusta National/Augusta National/Getty Images

Rich Beem calls for someone to speak to Sergio Garcia after Masters meltdown

The Chairman of the Champions committee, Geoff Yang, spoke to Garcia on the fourth hole, but Beem still believes Garcia needs a stern talking to after what he did at The Masters.

Speaking on the Sky Sports Golf Podcast, he said, “I’m going to preface this by saying that I play with Sergio in December because he lives in Austin, I live just outside of it.

“Listen, he’s a lovely man. I enjoy his company thoroughly. He couldn’t be any nicer to me. But as a competitor, when you get into situations like that, it’s putrid.

“It’s like even Bob McIntyre, what he did, slamming clubs and things like that. Listen, I get it.

This game gets the best of you, but you’ve got to have some decorum out there. And Sergio, with the way he went about it.

“I’m always going to take the high road when I look at what Geoff Yang said to him yesterday. I think Sergio was embarrassed beyond belief. But that’s when I saw, but what I heard from him afterward was not somebody that was truly sorry about his actions.

“And that part about it that makes me sad is because I know a different Sergio. But we also know this Sergio, and we’ve seen it before, and sadly, we’ll probably see it again.

“Listen, I think over time it’s actually probably gotten a little worse. First, because what haven’t we seen on LIV? What has he done out there that hasn’t been put out on social media or things like that? I don’t know.

“I’m sad for the guy because he’s such a good person. But listen, somebody needs to pull him aside and shake his tree.”

What Sergio Garcia said after his outburst at The Masters

Many, including Beem on commentary, expected Garcia to show contrition for his outburst after the round. But he showed few signs of genuine regret when asked by reporters.

The Spaniard said, “Obviously not super proud of it, but sometimes it happens.”

When asked what Yang said to him on the fourth hole, he refused to say, and when he was asked if it was a culmination of the frustrations he had had with his game all year, he replied:

“No, it’s not a combination of everything. It’s fine. It’s what it is. You’ve just got to deal with it.”

He was referring to himself at the end there, rather than telling the reporters to deal with it, but these weren’t the words of a man who was truly regretful. And at 46, it’s difficult to see how he’ll ever change.

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