Sergio Garcia has never been afraid to ruffle feathers during his career, with the Spaniard involved in a number of controversies over the years.
It is fair to say that Sergio Garcia has always divided opinion among golf fans. While his talent is absolutely undeniable – and he should have certainly won more than one major – his temperament has got him in trouble on a number of occasions.
Garcia has been involved in several controversial incidents. Most recently, Garcia was widely criticised for withdrawing from the Irish Open after learning that he would not make Luke Donald’s Ryder Cup team for Bethpage Black.
But while he received criticism, few were probably overly surprised to see the 2017 Masters champion take the news poorly – despite his underwhelming form for much of the season.
The actions which saw Sergio Garcia disqualified from a European Tour event
It was only a few years ago that Garcia became the first player to be disqualified from a European Tour event for serious misconduct.
The 2019 Saudi International was won by Dustin Johnson, with the American ending the week on 19 under par. The likes of Min Woo Lee, Bryson DeChambeau and Ian Poulter were also in the top 10 at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club.
The course name proved to be a little unfortunate.
As reported by Sky Sports, Garcia’s behaviour prompted several players in the following groups to complain during the third round as he damaged a number of the putting surfaces.
He had already had quite the meltdown after one bunker shot on the second day.
And his actions on the greens led to Garcia being disqualified for serious misconduct under rule 1.2a.
Garcia would apologise for his actions and claimed that he told his fellow players that it would not happen again.
It would, unfortunately, not be the last time Garcia upset some of those on the DP World Tour.
The rant from Sergio Garcia that left Robert MacIntyre disgusted
In 2022, Garcia launched into an extraordinary rant in the locker room about the future of the European circuit. He had just been fined following his move to LIV Golf.
His actions apparently left Robert MacIntyre disgusted.
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In fairness to Garcia, golf is much more interesting for having characters who do express their emotions. And he has certainly been hugely entertaining for the majority of his career.
He also deserves some credit for often holding his hands up when he does make mistakes. Garcia would be the first person to admit that he is far from perfect.
But it is a shame that a player as naturally gifted as Garcia has been involved in so many controversial moments as they undoubtedly take away from his legacy as one of the most talented players Europe has ever produced.
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