Sergio Garcia to miss Masters after positive COVID-19 test

Sergio Garcia will not play in the Masters after testing positive for COVID-19. Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

Sergio Garcia to miss Masters after testing positive for COVID-19

By Blake Harper | Last updated 11/9/20

Sergio Garcia announced he is withdrawing from this year's Masters after he tested positive for COVID-19 over the weekend. Garcia was driving home from the Houston Open on Saturday when he "started feeling a bit of a sore throat and a cough."

The 40-year-old still had a sore throat and a cough when he woke up on Sunday, so he and his wife Angela decided to get tested. While his wife tested negative, Garcia discovered that he had tested positive and, as a result, would be missing the Masters.

"After 21 years of not missing a Major Championship, I will sadly miss [the Masters] this week," Garcia tweeted. "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."

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

The Masters are typically played in April but the tournament had to be delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and is now set to begin on Thursday, Nov. 12 at Augusta National Golf Club.

Garcia is the second player to withdraw from the Masters after testing positive for COVID-19, with Joaquin Niemann revealing he had tested positive last week.

Garcia won the Masters in 2017, beating Justin Rose in a sudden-death playoff. Garcia was not expected to be in serious contention for this year's Masters, as he is currently ranked 40th and missed the cut in each of his past two appearances at Augusta National. But not seeing Garcia at a major for the first time in two decades will certainly be strange.

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