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(CNN) — If José Luis Ballester was trying to make a name for himself at his first Masters tournament, he certainly succeeded. Just not in the way he might have expected before his opening round.
The debutant, known by his nickname Josele, admitted to urinating in Rae’s Creek on the 13th hole at Augusta National Thursday afternoon. Not quite the water hazard relief golfers usually take.
The 21-year-old, who qualified for the major after winning the 2024 US Amateur at Hazeltine in Minnesota, defended his decision after the round.
“I completely forgot that we had those restrooms on the left of the tee box,” Ballester told reporters.
“And then I’m like, ‘I really need to pee.’ Didn’t really know where to go, and since JT (Justin Thomas) had an issue on the green, I’m just like, ‘Okay I’m just going to go sneak here in the river.’”
Ballester didn’t think anyone would see him. The Spaniard might’ve underestimated the number of fans and officials at an event like the Masters as after his bathroom break, he got a round of applause.
“They clapped for me. Probably one of the (loudest) claps that I really got today. Like, really loud. So that was kind of funny,” Ballester said.
Despite confirming that fans saw him, he felt no regret and was not concerned about any potential repercussions from Augusta officials.
“It was not embarrassing at all for me,” Ballester added. “So, if I had to do it again, I would do it again.”
And clearly it wasn’t too much of a distraction as the Arizona State senior went on to par the hole.
Peeing into Rae’s Creek wasn’t the only eye-catching moment of Ballester’s opening round. He also garnered attention on social media for his Arizona State hat featuring upside down “Sun Devils” lettering. Augusta National is known to have strict dress code rules for players and patrons alike – something Jason Day knows all too well after being asked to tone down his outfits this year.
Ballester, who was playing with last year’s Masters winner Scottie Scheffler and world No. 8 Justin Thomas, ended the day tied for 73rd at four over par.
The-CNN-Wire
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