AUGUSTA, Ga. — The reigning U.S. Amateur champion said he apologized to Augusta National Golf Club following an etiquette breach during the opening round of the 2025 Masters on Thursday.
Jose Luis Ballester, an Arizona State senior, earned a Masters invite when he won the U.S. Amateur at Hazeltine in Minnesota last summer. Ballester shot a four-over 76 in the first round, although he made more headlines for relieving himself in Rae’s Creek, one of golf’s most famous waterways.
Playing the par-5 13th hole on Thursday, Ballester needed to use the restroom. He forgot to use the portable toilets near the 13th tee box and was already up near the green.
“I’m like, I really need to pee,” Ballester said post-round on Thursday. “Didn’t really know where to go.”
Ballester was playing in a star-studded — and heavily followed — grouping that consisted of Justin Thomas and defending Masters champion Scottie Scheffler. When Thomas hit his approach into the bushes left of the 13th green, Ballester saw an opportunity.
“Since J.T. had an issue on the green, I’m like, ‘I’m just going to sneak here in the river and probably people won’t see me that much,'” Ballester said. “And then they clapped for me. Probably one of the claps that I really got today, real loud, so that was kind of funny.”
Ballester, the sixth-ranked amateur in the world, doubled down Thursday by saying, “It was not embarrassing at all for me. If I had to do it again, I would do it again.”
It’s unlikely the green jackets that run Augusta National thought it was as funny.
After his round on Friday, in which he shot six-over 78 to miss the cut, Ballester said he talked to the club about the incident.
“I already apologized to the club,” he said, “and I think we just move on from this moment.”
Asked if he got any response or texts from friends who might have saw what happened, he said, “Not really. I try to stay away from social media. A couple friends reached out just to say, ‘Hey, you’ll be fine. I’m still your friend.’ So yeah, it’s good to have those friends that have your back when the news is not that good about you.”
