AUGUSTA, Ga. – Jose Ballester took “taking relief” to a whole new level Thursday at the Masters.
The reigning U.S. Open champion admitted after his opening round 4-over 76 that he urinated in Rae’s Creek short of the 13th green. Patrons in the 14th grandstand apparently had a clear view of Ballester’s impromptu pit stop and cheered when he finished.
Ballester was playing alongside defending Masters champion Scottie Scheffler and Justin Thomas when nature called.
“I completely forgot that we had those restrooms to the left of the tee box,” he told reporters afterward. “I’m like, I really need to pee. I 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. Probably one of the claps that I really got today real loud, so that was kind of funny.”
Tournament officials might not find the creek incident as amusing as the gallery did. But Ballester, the Arizona State senior who wore a hat with the school’s nickname “Sun Devils” spelled upside down and backward, seemed unfazed about potential consequences.
“They saw me. They saw me,” he said. “It was not embarrassing at all for me. If I had to do it again, I would do it again.”
Augusta National Golf Club has not responded to a request for comment.
