With PGA Tour players making their way to Augusta, the pandemic continues to shape the 2020 Masters — and this time a former champ was forced to withdraw after a positive COVID test.
Sergio Garcia, who won the event in 2017, will be forced out of this year’s tournament.
Garcia tweeted early on Monday.
After 21 years of not missing a Major Championship, I will sadly miss @themasters this week. 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 👊🏼 pic.twitter.com/Ofpq1hBGYu
— Sergio Garcia (@TheSergioGarcia) November 9, 2020
Garcia played with Tony Finau and Brian Gay during the first two rounds of the Vivint Houston Open. He failed to make the cut.
The Houston event was the first on the PGA Tour to allow fans back on-site, as about 2,000 per day were allowed to roam the grounds at Memorial Park Golf Course.
Sergio Garcia has informed Augusta National Golf Club that he will not participate in the 2020 Masters Tournament due to a positive COVID-19 test result. pic.twitter.com/SdIlomCrNT
— The Masters (@TheMasters) November 9, 2020
Garcia won his green jacket in thrilling style, beating Justin Rose in a playoff. He has three other top 10 finishes in Augusta, including a T-4 in 2004.
Although he failed to make the cut in Houston, Garcia has been better of late. He won the Sanderson Farms in October. Prior to that, he’d been mired in a prolonged slump, recording just one top-10 finish since February and he’d missed three of his last four cuts. He failed to qualify for the FedEx Cup Playoffs and in the latest indignity, dropped out of the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking this week for the first time in nine years.
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