AUGUSTA, Ga. – Sergio Garcia became the 18th player to test positive for COVID-19 since the circuit’s restart in June, according to the PGA Tour. But this one was a little more difficult.
The 2017 Masters champion announced on Monday that he would not be able to play this year’s fall edition at Augusta National after testing positive for the novel coronavirus. Garcia said he started feeling symptoms following his missed cut last Friday in Houston.
Although Joaquín Niemann was also forced to withdraw from the Masters – his first as a pro – after testing positive, the loss of a former champion resonated.
“Terrible,” said Adam Scott, who missed two starts last month after testing positive for COVID-19. “It seems like almost one guy a week, or maybe just a bit more, test positive, and there’s going to be a couple here. For Sergio, a past champion, it’s got to be tough to miss out.”
Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley also addressed Garcia’s withdrawal: “Our hearts and prayers go out to Sergio and his family, we will miss him greatly, one of our great former winners here at the Masters.”