Sprinkler rage leads to Garcia being banned from using putter
Sergio Garcia’s chances of winning the Dell Technologies Championship disappeared after a costly loss of temper in the third round at TPC Boston yesterday.
Garcia slammed his putter into a sprinkler head after badly misjudging an eagle attempt on the short par-four fourth yesterday, altering the loft and lie of the club. Under Rule 4-3b, that meant Garcia was not allowed to use it again for the rest of the round, although he did at least hole his birdie putt from 13 feet with a fairway wood.
It is not the first time this season Garcia has caused himself problems in a fit of pique.
The world No7 bizarrely injured his shoulder after lashing out at a gorse bush on the fourth hole at Royal Birkdale during this year’s Open Championship.
And after switching to using his driver on the greens in Boston, the 37-year-old then bogeyed the fifth, sixth, eighth and ninth on his way to a round of 75, with a miserable day completed with a double-bogey seven on the last.
That left Garcia, who used a three-iron to hole birdie putts on the 13th and 17th, two over par and 14 shots behind USPGA champion Justin Thomas and Australia’s Marc Leishman, who shot superb rounds of 63 and 65 respectively despite the wet and windy conditions.
Paul Casey was a shot off the lead after a 67, with Jordan Spieth, Grayson Murray and Adam Hadwin a shot further back on 10 under.