Amateur golfer Jose Luis Ballester from Spain gained attention during the opening round of the 2025 Masters tournament. In Augusta, Georgia, where nature plays a significant role, one must be cautious in how they respond to its needs. On a particularly dry day, the Augusta National grounds crew waters the course to keep it properly hydrated. However, during the first round of the 2025 Masters, amateur Ballester took it upon himself to water the area behind the 13th green.
Admitting to his actions after finishing the round at 4-over, Ballester mentioned, “I completely forgot about the restroom facilities to the left of the 13th tee box. I was in urgent need to use the restroom and wasn’t sure where to go.” Luckily for him, his playing partner Justin Thomas was dealing with a penalty shot after hitting his ball out of bounds, providing some distraction. Ballester thought he could discreetly handle his situation near what he thought was a river (a branch of Rae’s Creek), but he was not as inconspicuous as he hoped.
Despite the questionable move, some spectators applauded Ballester’s creativity. When asked about any concerns regarding potential repercussions from Augusta National officials, the 21-year-old golfer confidently stated, “I didn’t find it embarrassing. If I had to do it again, I would.” It’s likely that Ballester may face similar situations in the future, though he will probably opt for a different location next time.
While this incident may not sit well with Augusta National due to etiquette breaches, at least there was no further escalation of the issue.
