The Masters lost one of its more colourful characters and most recent winners when Sergio Garcia withdrew on Monday after a positive coronavirus test.
The Spaniard missed the cut at Houston on Friday and became ill travelling home to Texas. Garcia, who so memorably broke his major duck in defeating England’s Justin Rose in a play-off three years ago, fell foul of the swab on Sunday and must now quarantine instead of taking his place in a field he has graced since he was a 19-year-old amateur.
“On Saturday night after driving back from the Houston Open, I started feeling a bit of a sore throat and a cough,” Garcia explained on social media. “The symptoms stayed with me on Sunday morning so I decided to get tested for COVID-19 and so did my wife, Angela. Thankfully she tested negative, but I didn’t.”
Garcia has made no secret of his love affair with Augusta. When his first child was born the year following his victory, she was named Azalea. Ironically, his second child, Enzo, arrived in April, during what would have been the second round if it had not been postponed because of the pandemic. “We have so many connections with the tournament,” Garcia said.
The all-time Ryder Cup points-scorer loses a proud record. This is the first time he has missed a major since the 1999 US Open – a run of 82 in succession. Presuming he makes Thursday, Adam Scott will now boast the longest active streak with 76.
“After 21 years of not missing a Major Championship, I will sadly miss this week,” he said. The important thing is that my family and I are feeling good. We’ll come back stronger and give the green jacket a go next April.”
Despite missing the last two cuts here, Garcia, the world No 40, was plainly not without his chances following three wins in the last two years, including at the Sanderson Farms Championship last month, his first victory on US soil since the Masters, in which golf folklore already has it that he putted with his eyes shut.
“This is obviously a huge boost of confidence before Augusta,” Garcia said in the aftermath of his triumph in Mississippi. “This showed me a lot of what I still have and what I still can do.”
