Augusta (United States) (AFP) – Reigning US Amateur champion Jose Luis Ballester has apologized to Augusta National for taking an impromptu bathroom break in Rae’s Creek during Thursday’s first round of the Masters. The 21-year-old Spaniard admitted he urinated in the famed water hazard on Augusta National’s par-five 13th hole and said Friday he had apologized for doing so. “I already apologized to the club, and I think we just move on from this moment,” Ballester said.
Ballester said he had supportive comments from some friends after his intended private moment, shielded by the slopes on either side of the creek, became global news. “A couple friends reached out just to say, ‘Hey, you’ll be fine. I’m still your friend,'” Ballester said. “So yeah, it’s good to have those friends that have your back when the news is not that good about you.”
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Spectators cheered Ballester, who had his back to the crowd while taking care of his business — a move made necessary after he forgot there were bathrooms at the 13th tee. “I completely forgot that we had those restrooms to the left of the tee box,” Ballester said Thursday. “And then I’m like, I really need to pee. Didn’t really know where to go, and since JT (playing partner Justin Thomas) 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. Probably one of the claps that I really got real loud, so that was kind of funny.”
On Thursday, Ballester had insisted he was not ashamed of his actions. “If I had to do it again, I would do it again.”
© 2024 AFP
