AUGUSTA, Ga. – The biggest storylines entering this week’s 2023 Masters were Scottie Scheffler’s title defense, Rory McIlroy’s quest for the career grand slam, Tiger Woods’ return and the presence of LIV Golf’s 18 players in the field.
Can you guess which one Sergio Garcia is tired of talking about?
When asked how it felt to come back to Augusta National Golf Club — a question unrelated to the Greg Norman-led circuit bankrolled by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund — Garcia snapped at a reporter after his 2-over 74 in Thursday’s opening round of the first men’s major of the year.
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“Totally normal. You guys need to stop it. You guys are making a big deal out of this, and it’s you guys,” said Garcia, hinting that only the media is pushing the narrative of division between LIV Golf and the PGA and DP World tours and ignoring the multiple ongoing lawsuits currently in play on both sides of the professional golf aisle.
“Yes, it is,” he snapped when a reporter disagreed. “I’ve had nothing but great things from every single player I talk to. So please stop it and talk about the Masters.”
Garcia, winner of the 2017 Masters, was then asked about Thursday’s decision from Sports Resolutions, an independent United Kingdom-based panel, which ruled in favor of the DP World Tour’s ability to both fine and suspend LIV players who played in conflicting events without permission. A winner of 11 PGA Tour and 16 DP World Tour events, Garcia said he wasn’t aware of the decision. The 43-year-old was one of the players involved in the case but has since withdrawn his name.
“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,” said Garcia. “I’m not going to talk about something without all the information that I need.”
That said, Garcia didn’t rule out playing DP World Tour events in the future, if given the opportunity.
“We’ll see,” he said. “We’ll see how the year goes.”
Patrick Reed is never afraid of a little confrontation, but the 2018 Masters champion wasn’t at all defensive when asked about off-course happenings with LIV, particularly the thought that playing in a less-competitive league (Cameron Smith’s words) would hamper their chances. In fact, he laughs at it.
“Last time I checked, I’m the one with the green jacket,” he said.
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