AUGUSTA, Ga. — Sergio Garcia tested positive for COVID-19, and the 2017 Masters champion has withdrawn from the tournament, becoming the second player who will miss the major championship because of the coronavirus.
Garcia, 40, who missed the cut last week at the Houston Open, won the Sanderson Farms Championship last month.
His first major title came at the Masters in 2017 in a sudden-death playoff over Justin Rose.
Garcia has the longest streak of consecutive major championships played at 84, dating to the 1999 Open at Carnoustie, when he was 19 years old.
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
For this year’s Masters, all players and caddies are required to pass a COVID-19 test prior to being admitted onto the grounds.
Last week, Chile’s Joaquin Niemann withdrew because of a positive test.
The Masters now lists 94 players in the field, as there are no alternates.
The tournament also announced Monday that it has made a change to its 36-hole cut criteria to include the top 50 players and ties, but it will no longer take those who are within 10 shots of the lead. Last year, that meant an extra nine players made it to the weekend.
