“The Green Jacket should be respected” – Sergio Garcia says the Augusta Masters winner’s jacket has ‘its rules’

Sergio Garcia has opened up about the significance of the Green Jacket worn by the Masters winner. The LIV golfer recently appeared in an episode of The Rick Shiels Golf where he spoke candidly about the Green Jacket.

Garcia stated that the Masters winners are not permitted to wear the jacket anywhere and that it has its own set of rules. He added that Major winners need to get official permission before boarding with the prestigious Green Jacket.

Speaking about the jacket, Garcia said:

"When you win The Masters, that first year from when you win it to the next year when you play it as a defending champion, you get to take the jacket with you and travel around. Obviously you have to ask for permission when you use it. It's a great piece of clothing but it has its rules."

The Masters Green Jacket is a single-breasted design with three buttons. It has been given to the Masters champion since 1949 by the winner of the previous year.

The Spanish golfer was later quizzed by the podcast host over the certain colors he wears with his regular jackets. Adding to his statement, Garcia said:

"Obviously you're not going to wear something that doesn't make it look good. Because you want to respect it. But more than anything, it's to make sure that you use it in the right ways and respect it like the Green Jacket should be respected.

"But you get to trouble with it for a year and then when you get back to Augusta and defend your title unless you win it again, then it has to stay there when you leave. So you can't you can't take it with you."

You can check Sergio Garcia's comments in the video below (36:07 and 37:16 respectively):

---

Did Sergio Garcia win the Masters?

Sergio Garcia won the Masters in 2017. The Spanish golfer, who turned pro in 1999, has won 36 professional events in his career, including 16 on the European Tour and 11 on the PGA Tour.

Garcia has played in all four Majors, winning only one. At the 2017 Masters, he was tied for the lead with Justin Rose after playing four rounds of 71, 69, 70 and 69. The two headed for a playoff, which eventually turned into a sudden playoff, where Garcia defeated Rose to win the first Major of his career.

Sergio Garcia was one of the initial defectors of the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf in 2022. However, as the Saudi circuit players have been banned from the Tour, most of the LIV players have been struggling to qualify for Majors.

Nonetheless, Garcia is eligible to compete at the Masters and has a chance to win another Green Jacket. As the past winner of the competition, he holds a lifetime exemption to compete at the Augusta event. That said, the Masters is the only Major in which Garcia can compete in 2024.