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Sergio Garcia destroys driver, gets warning in wild Masters meltdown

Nypost · · 652 words · By Mark Cannizzaro
Professional Conduct Sports Performance Athlete Temperament
open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/04/12/sports/sergio-garcia-breaks-driver-in-wild-masters…

psychologyDetected Techniques

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Loaded Language 90% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
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Exaggeration / Hyperbole 80% confidence
Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

15 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 6
schedule Pending 5
info Single Source 3
help Insufficient Evidence 1
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“The 46-year-old Garcia, the 2017 winner of the green jacket”
CORROBORATED
Wikipedia confirms Sergio Garcia was born January 9, 1980 (making him 44-45 depending on current date, but the claim says 46, which is consistent with a 2026 context mentioned in other evidence). Nypost and Wikipedia confirm he won the Masters (green jacket) in 2017.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sergio Ramos García (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈseɾxjo ˈramos ɣaɾˈθi.a]; born 30 March 1986) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back. Widely regarded as one of the greatest centr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergio_Ramos
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Masters Tournament is a golf competition that was established in 1934, with Horton Smith winning the inaugural tournament. The Masters is the first of four major championships to be played each ye…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Masters_Tournament_cha…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sergio García Fernández (pronounced [ˈseɾxjo ɣaɾˈθi.a feɾˈnandeθ]; born 9 January 1980) is a Spanish professional golfer. He turned professional in 1999 and played on the European Tour and PGA Tour pr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergio_García
+ 4 more evidence sources
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“He tore up the turf at the tee box on No. 2 and smashed his driver on a water cooler.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web sources (Yahoo Sports, and others) describe Garcia smashing his driver and damaging the turf at the second hole during a Masters meltdown.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2018 Masters Tournament was the 82nd edition of the Masters Tournament and the first of golf's four major championships in 2018. It was held April 5–8 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Geo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Masters_Tournament
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sergio García Fernández (pronounced [ˈseɾxjo ɣaɾˈθi.a feɾˈnandeθ]; born 9 January 1980) is a Spanish professional golfer. He turned professional in 1999 and played on the European Tour and PGA Tour pr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergio_García
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sergio Ramos García (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈseɾxjo ˈramos ɣaɾˈθi.a]; born 30 March 1986) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back. Widely regarded as one of the greatest centr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergio_Ramos
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“he was issued a code-of-conduct warning by a tournament official two holes later.”
CORROBORATED
Three independent web sources explicitly state that Garcia was given a code-of-conduct warning by a tournament official on the fourth hole.
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web search NEUTRAL — Sergio Garcia destroys driver, gets warning in wild Masters meltdown.Garcia was approached by a tournament official on the fourth hole for a conversation about his meltdown, one that came with a code-…
https://nypost.com/2026/04/12/sports/sergio-garcia-breaks-dr…
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web search NEUTRAL — Masters officials took a dim view of Garcia's outburst, and handed him a code of conduct warning on the fourth hole. Garcia later suggested his frustration had been building since before the tournamen…
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/garcia-warned-masters-melt…
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web search NEUTRAL — #WARNING — Geoff Yang, the chairman of the competition committee at The Masters, spoke to Sergio Garcia on the 4th tee and gave him a code of conduct warning after he smashed his driver and broke it o…
https://www.si.com/golf/masters/sergio-garcia-masters-fit-co…
info
“shooting 75 to finish the week 8-over par and in third-to-last place.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While one web search result (ARTVOICE) mentions he shot 8 over par in a 2026 tournament, there is no independent corroboration of the specific final round score of 75 or the 'third-to-last place' ranking from other sources.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 PGA Championship was the 107th edition of the PGA Championship and the second of the four men's major golf championships held in 2025. The tournament was held on May 15–18 at the Quail Hollow…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_PGA_Championship
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sergio García Fernández (pronounced [ˈseɾxjo ɣaɾˈθi.a feɾˈnandeθ]; born 9 January 1980) is a Spanish professional golfer. He turned professional in 1999 and played on the European Tour and PGA Tour pr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergio_García
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sergio García de la Fuente (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈseɾxjo ɣaɾˈθi.a]; born 9 June 1983) is a Spanish former professional footballer. Mainly a forward, he could also appear as a winger, preferably on …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergio_García_(footballer,_bor…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“Jon Rahm, who was paired with Garcia, a fellow member of LIV Golf”
CORROBORATED
Wikipedia confirms both Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia are members of LIV Golf. Multiple web sources confirm they were paired together at LIV Golf events (e.g., Andalucia Masters).
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 PGA Championship was the 107th edition of the PGA Championship and the second of the four men's major golf championships held in 2025. The tournament was held on May 15–18 at the Quail Hollow…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_PGA_Championship
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jon Rahm Rodríguez (born 10 November 1994) is a Spanish professional golfer who plays on the LIV Golf League. He is a former world number one in the Official World Golf Ranking. Rahm has won two majo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Rahm
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — LIV Golf Adelaide is a professional golf tournament sponsored by LIV Golf in Australia, held at The Grange Golf Club in Grange, a northwest suburb of Adelaide. It debuted in the 2023 LIV Golf Season, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LIV_Golf_Adelaide
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“A second infraction would have resulted in a two-shot penalty and a third would lead to disqualification.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists only of dictionary definitions for the word 'under'. There is no evidence regarding tournament rules or penalties.
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web search NEUTRAL — Under is a preposition. When we use under as a preposition, it is similar to below.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/under
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web search NEUTRAL — 3 days ago · The meaning of UNDER is in or into a position below or beneath something. How to use under in a sentence.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/under
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web search NEUTRAL — Under Armour builds game-changing sportswear, athletic shirts, shoes and more. FREE SHIPPING available and FREE returns on workout clothes, shoes, and gear.
https://www.underarmour.com/en-us/
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“At last year’s British Open, he was forced to play most of his final round without his driver after he slammed the club into the ground and broke it on the second hole.”
CORROBORATED
Web search results confirm that at the Open Championship at Royal Portrush, Garcia broke his driver on the second hole and played the remainder of the round without it.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open outside of the UK, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was origina…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Open_Championship
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2007 Open Championship was a men's major golf championship and the 136th Open Championship, played from 19–22 July at Carnoustie Golf Links in Scotland. Pádraig Harrington defeated Sergio García i…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Open_Championship
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sergio García Gómez (born 9 October 1992) is a Spanish professional boxer who held the European super-welterweight title from 2018 to 2021.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergio_García_(boxer)
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“In 2019, he was disqualified from a tournament in Saudi Arabia after he damaged several greens in frustration.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources, including Reuters, report that Sergio Garcia was disqualified from the Saudi International in 2019 for damaging greens.
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web search NEUTRAL — (Reuters) - Former U.S. Masters champion Sergio Garcia was disqualified during the Saudi International third round on Saturday for intentionally damaging the greens at the Royal Greens Golf and Countr…
https://www.euronews.com/2019/02/02/garcia-disqualified-from…
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web search NEUTRAL — Sergio Garcia grew frustrated during the third round of the Saudi International and reportedly damaged as many as five greens in the process. He was disqualified via rule 1.2a.
https://golf.com/news/sergio-garcia-disqualified-in-saudi-ar…
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web search NEUTRAL — Subscribe to our channel: https://goo.gl/pqS0mLSergio Garcia disqualified from Saudi International for damaging two greens.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhiOHtKimc0
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“In 2022, he got into a confrontation with an official at the Wells Fargo Championship after a dispute over a lost ball”
SINGLE SOURCE
Only the Nypost cross-reference mentions the confrontation with an official at the Wells Fargo Championship regarding a lost ball.
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cross reference SUPPORTS — Shortly before he left the PGA Tour in 2022, Garcia got snippy with an official at the Wells Fargo Championship regarding a lost ball
https://nypost.com/2026/04/14/sports/sergio-garcia-changes-t…
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“In 2012, Garcia, after shooting a third-round 75 that knocked him from contention, went on a diatribe to Spanish reporters about how he’ll never win a Masters.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to support or refute the claim about a 2012 diatribe to Spanish reporters.
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“Five years later, he won the Masters in a playoff over Justin Rose”
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“named his daughter Azalea — after the 13th hole at Augusta.”
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“Garcia, who opened the week with rounds of 72, 75 and 74”
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“Garcia has just one top 10 in five LIV Golf starts this season”
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“in his seven Masters appearances since his win, he’s missed the cut six times.”
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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.