Sergio Garcia will not receive further sanction -- including potential suspension -- for damaging five greens on Saturday in the third round of the Saudi International.
Garcia was disqualified for intentional damage that included substantial scuff marks and a large divot mark on the greens at host Royal Greens Golf and Country Club. He was disqualified after four groups notified European Tour officials of Garcia's behavior. Garcia issued a brief apology through the European Tour and vowed not to do it again.
The 39-year-old former Masters winner, according to the Scotsman, will not be suspended for his actions, nor will he be asked to pay back any portion of his rumored £500,000 appearance fee he was given for agreeing to compete in the inaugural event.
The Scotsman offers a tick-tock of how things unfolded, with direct quotes from multiple individuals involved in the process.
European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley considers the matter closed.
“The incident is over,” Pelley said, according to the Scotsman. “We have dealt with it. Sergio has apologized to the players and we move on.”
There have been calls on social media for further suspension and other punitive action against Garcia.
There also have been calls for the European Tour to release any imagery or video of Garcia's actions. The European Tour did not explicitly respond to those calls, but Sky Sports says it did not capture any such video as Garcia was out on the course among the early tee times. Photography of damage has not been released, though it's believed it exists.
Renato Paratore played alongside Garcia in the third round before his disqualification, ultimately shooting 65. He said he did not complain about Garcia's behavior and vaguely recalled one hole where Garcia's behavior was poor.
