Sergio Garcia was once the man of the moment at The Masters, having clinched the green jacket at Augusta National in 2017.
Garcia claimed his only major championship win to date at The Masters that year, where he edged out Justin Rose in a dramatic playoff.
But just six years later, the Spaniard’s smile dropped, and was replaced by anger and frustration aimed at the press.
One major change from his successful run at Augusta National represented his tour status, with Garcia having swapped the PGA Tour for LIV Golf.
The Spanish icon made the controversial move in 2022, having emerged victorious 11 times during his PGA Tour career.
Why Sergio Garcia snapped at journalists during The Masters in 2023
Garcia opened his account at The Masters in 2023 with a two-over 74, after which he was asked by reporters how normal it felt to be back playing at Augusta.
The question arrived amid the ongoing rift between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf at the time, to which he replied: “Totally normal. You guys need to stop it. You guys are making a big deal out of this, and it’s you guys.”
The reporter responded: “No, it’s not,” as Garcia argued back: “Yes, it is. I’ve had nothing but great things from every single player I talk to. So please stop it and talk about the Masters.”
Not backing down, the reporter said: “I think actually, in defence, I was thinking you haven’t had as many reps as sometimes you normally would. How did you feel coming in and playing this golf course because of that?”
Still angered, Garcia said: “I don’t think you meant that, but I did play… I played one, two, three, four… I played five tournaments coming in here. So it’s pretty good.
“There’s been times where I probably maybe haven’t played that much coming into here. But it’s usually around that, four, five, six tournaments. But that wasn’t the problem.”
How Sergio Garcia responded to the DP World Tour introducing fines for LIV Golf players
The frostiness was undoubtedly heightened by the major action that had just been taken by the DP World Tour regarding LIV golfers.
An arbitration panel in London ruled that the DP World Tour can suspend and fine members who took part in LIV Golf events.
Unsurprisingly, the Spanish star was asked about the ruling, and interrupted a reporter mid-question on the matter.
Unable to finish, the reporter asked: “Are you aware of the decision that came down today in the UK about-”, when Garcia interjected: “I’m not.”
The reporter persisted: “You’re not?” as the golfer simply replied: “Okay.”
He was then pressed on the issue: “Does that mean you wouldn’t talk about it if we told you what happened?”
Garcia responded: “How can I talk about something I don’t know? Obviously I don’t look at the news. So I don’t know what happened. I’m not going to talk about something without all the information that I need.”
He missed the cut at Augusta this year, while Garcia’s European Tour future is uncertain, but he did just recently continue his rollercoaster journey with the organisation.
The veteran played at the Spanish Open earlier this month, finishing T39, but he’s not in the field for this week’s DP World India Championship in Delhi.
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