Rick Shiels says if Sergio Garcia should be banned from The Masters after his behaviour on the final day

Photo by Logan Whitton/Augusta National/Getty Images

Sergio Garcia had a very regrettable ending to The Masters, despite making his first cut at Augusta since 2022.

Garcia made a relatively positive start to the opening major championship of the season, which wasn’t the case for many of his LIV Golf counterparts.

But his tournament ended in controversial fashion after he completely lost his cool during the final round of The Masters.

Reacting angrily to his opening shot on the second hole, Garcia smashed his driver into the ground and subsequently into a water cooler, leaving significant damage.

Golf fans think Garcia should be banned from The Masters because of that behaviour, with Rick Shiels now adding his thoughts on the discussion.

Rick Shiels doesn’t want Sergio Garcia banned from The Masters

Speaking on The Rick Shiels Golf Show, he said of the incident at Augusta: “It was pretty shocking.

“Sergio Garcia, every time I have spent time with him, is so lovely, so nice. He is just so pleasant to be around.

“I played with him in Austin. I played awful.

“Every time he was dead nice, he would look for my golf ball in the trees and the bushes. It was embarrassing how I played but he was so, so nice.

“But he just has this streak where he is a hot-headed Spaniard, where unfortunately he let the situation get the better of him.

“What I found a bit bizarre was that he wasn’t really in contention. It wasn’t as though he was fighting for anything.

“He didn’t need to do it. It wasn’t as if he was fighting for anything. I don’t condone it at all. Hopefully he learns from it.

“Hopefully he doesn’t get banned, personally, is my take. I want to see him at The Masters every year.

“I think it was right for the Green Jackets to have a word with him, it’s not good for people watching on TV.

“Hopefully it’s the last we hear of it and we won’t see it again.”

Garcia is no stranger to such outbursts on the course, but this one at The Masters certainly feels different from the rest.

Photo by Chris Condon/Augusta National/Getty Images

Sergio Garcia really let himself down at The Masters

Garcia has since apologised for his Masters behaviour, for which he was reprimanded by an official shortly after the incident.

He clearly lost his temper in the heat of the moment, which often happens on the course, and deserves credit for expressing his remorse.

But that will do little to appease many, with his childish actions really not a good look for the iconic tournament and, of course, the player himself.

The Masters is arguably the most prestigious tournament in world golf, and such behaviour is understandably never taken lightly.

Notably, it wasn’t the only case of poor behaviour at Augusta, with Robert MacIntyre reprimanded by Masters officials as well for showing the middle finger earlier in the tournament.

However, not only was Garcia’s outburst much more intense, but also much more surprising given that he is a former champion.

He claimed his only major win at Augusta in 2017, with his recent actions in Georgia certain to have disappointed many of the icons who have secured the same honor.

His frustrations were typified by a three-over 75 on Sunday, which resulted in the LIV Golf star finishing on eight-over.

That meant a final position of 52nd out of the 54 players who made the cut, ahead of only Rasmus Hojgaard and Charl Schwartzel.

Read more:

What Sergio Garcia was actually told by Masters officials after his outburst on the second tee

Golf fans are even more angry with Sergio Garcia after ’embarrassing’ post-round Masters interview

Jon Rahm says what Sergio Garcia was really like as a playing partner on the final day of The Masters