1 week Ago By Nick Sutherland
Amateur golfer Jose Luis Ballester has made headlines on his Masters debut for all the wrong reasons after causing controversy on course at Augusta National. The 21-year-old Spaniard played his opening round alongside defending champion Scottie Scheffler and Justin Thomas, enduring a tough time as he carded a four-over 76. Ballester, who is making his debut in a major at the tournament, struggled badly over the opening few holes, with two bogeys in his first three and a triple-bogey at the par-four fifth.
To his credit, he bounced back well with a birdie at the sixth, but failed to show the form that saw him become US amateur champion in 2024. However, the Arizona State University student's round won't be remembered for his scorecard. Instead, Ballester will go down in Masters infamy for urinating into Rae’s Creek from a ledge at the 13th hole.
Claiming that he'd forgotten the location of the toilets on-course, the youngster reasoned: "If I had to do it again, I would do it again. Well, if you need to go, you need to go." Why Jose Luis Ballester Urinated on Course at The Masters After playing his third shot on the par-five hole, Ballester ran across the fairway and proceeded to relieve himself into Augusta's most iconic stretch of water.
The bizarre scenes earned him a round of applause from spectators assembled in the viewing gallery, with the crowd seemingly to relate to the player's plight. Naturally, the unique moment was the first thing Ballester was asked about by the media once he had completed his round. He admitted that he had been hoping that he wouldn't be spotted, but refused to be embarrassed over the incident.
"I completely forgot that we had those restrooms to the left of the tee box," Ballester began. "I’m like, ‘I really need to pee.’ Didn’t really know where to go and since JT had an issue on the green, I’m like, I’m just going to sneak here in the river and probably people would not see me that much, and then they clapped for me.
[It was] probably one of the really loud claps that got today, so that was kind of funny. They [the crowd] saw me. They saw me.
It was not embarrassing at all for me." While Ballester tried to laugh about the incident, it is unlikely that officials at Augusta National will take the same view. The course is notoriously strict and famously bans mobile phones from its grounds .
The Masters is also particular when it comes to what players and patrons wear on course. Last year, Australian Jason Day was reprimanded over his choice of sweater while, earlier this week, a coach was removed from the course for wearing shorts. All of those issues seem significantly less controversial than urinating on the course itself.
It remains to be seen how officials will address Ballester's actions, but it is unlikely that they will see the funny side of the incident. Rory McIlroy endured a miserable end to his first round at the Masters, and his behaviour afterwards received a lot of criticism from fans..
