Sergio Garcia WITHDRAWS from the Masters as 2017 champion tests positive for Covid-19 just days before action at Augusta gets underway
- Sergio Garcia revealed that he felt a ‘sore throat and cough’ ahead of Masters
- The news was announced on Monday afternoon, three days before the start
- Garcia conquered Augusta back in 2017 thanks to a play-off win over Justin Rose
Former champion Sergio Garcia will miss this week’s Masters after testing positive for Covid-19.
Tournament officials announced the news on social media on Monday afternoon, just three days before the tournament gets under way.
Garcia defeated Justin Rose in a play-off to win his first major title at Augusta National in 2017.
Sergio Garcia has tested positive for Covid-19 just days before the Masters gets underway
The Masters’ official Twitter account revealed the news on Monday afternoon
In a message on his Twitter account, Garcia wrote: ‘On Saturday night after driving back from the Houston Open, I started feeling a bit of a sore throat and a cough.
‘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.
‘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.’
The Spaniard celebrates after winning his only major at the Masters back in 2017
Garcia won the prestigious Green Jacket after beating Justin Rose in a play-off at Augusta
The Spaniard has become the second golfer to withdraw from the final major of the year due to coronavirus.
Chilean Joaquin Niemann, who had been set to make his second appearance at Augusta, announced on Friday he wouldn’t take his part in the field after confirming a positive test.
For the first time in its history, the Masters will be staged in November after the coronavirus pandemic flipped the major golf calendar upside down.
The Masters, which usually opens the major season, will also be played without patrons amid the ongoing pandemic.
Tiger Woods is defending the prestigious Green Jacket following his incredible triumph last year at Augusta, his first major victory in 11 years.
Joaquin Niemann also recently withdrew from the Masters after testing positive for Covid
