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The 1994 Masters Tournament The flag for The Masters during a 1995 practice round at Augusta National Golf Club would have been the traditional yellow Masters flag, featuring the iconic tournament logo an outline of the United States with a golf hole and flagstick marking Augustas location. This flag is a cherished symbol of the tournaments history and prestige. 6th April 1994 Copyright: xMarkxNewcombex
Imago
The 1994 Masters Tournament The flag for The Masters during a 1995 practice round at Augusta National Golf Club would have been the traditional yellow Masters flag, featuring the iconic tournament logo an outline of the United States with a golf hole and flagstick marking Augustas location. This flag is a cherished symbol of the tournaments history and prestige. 6th April 1994 Copyright: xMarkxNewcombex
Augusta National enforces a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to modern technology. While other PGA Tour events have relaxed their stances to accommodate the social media era, the Masters outright bans cell phones, laptops, and any noise-producing electronic devices from the grounds for patrons and guests alike. If you want to communicate on the grounds, you use the courtesy landline payphones scattered across the property. And the rule applies to patrons and media members as well. There are absolutely no excuses, and violations can lead to immediate expulsion. And the same happened to Mark Calcavecchia at the 90th Masters Tournament.
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The 65-year-old former PGA Tour member wasn’t even participating in the Masters Tournament. He was actually an honorary invitee as a former champion in The Open Championship (1989). However, he was caught on his phone, and the security at the event escorted him out of the course.
Golfweek’s Adam Schupak gave the 13x PGA Tour champion a phone call right after the incident. Calcavecchia didn’t seem in a good mood and refused to provide any further details. But he didn’t deny being removed from the Augusta National Golf Course on the first day of the 2026 Masters Tournament.
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“I’ve got nothing negative to say about Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters, so I think we should literally hang up right now,” the onetime major champion (1989 British Open) said before hanging up the phone.
Mark Calcavecchia was removed from the property, according to Golfweek.
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— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) April 8, 2026
What makes Calcavecchia’s slip-up so surprising is his deep familiarity with the venue. The veteran has teed it up in the Masters 18 times during his illustrious career and made the cut in 13 of them. Although he hasn’t won a single event at Augusta National, his best play came with a runner-up finish in 1988. His last appearance in the tournament was in 2008, where he missed the cut after finishing T20 in the previous year.
“The noise is an irritation to not only the players but also the dialing and the conversation. It’s a distraction, and that’s the way we’ve chosen to deal with it,” the former chairman, Billy Payne, said, speaking about the reason behind such a policy against cellphones.
Two years later, in 2019, Fred Ridley stated:
“I think our patrons appreciate our cellphone policy. We have now become an outlier, if not the only outlier in golf, as well, at allowing cell phones.”
Yet, even seasoned veterans can momentarily forget that Augusta’s surveillance is absolute. But Mark Calcavecchia isn’t the only one to be kicked out of the course for violating the club’s policy.
Who else has been removed from Augusta National Golf Club for using a mobile phone?
Looking at Calcavecchia’s removal, the mind naturally moves towards Charlie Rymer. The 58-year-old received a one-day ban from covering the tournament for using a cell phone back in the first round of the 2011 Masters. All he did was use his phone outside the media complex. And security swooped him up and removed him. No matter the tears or apologies, the punishment was final.
“We explained to him our policy, how we take it very seriously, and we sent him home,” a spokesperson from Augusta National weighed in on that incident.
However, the officials allowed him back on the course the following day.
Back in 2022, the Ryder Cup pals, Ian Poulter and Graeme McDowell, posted an unauthorized video of their practice session on social media. The video included some footage from inside the clubhouse and locker room. Even though the video didn’t stay on X for long, the golfers were punished with a wrist slap.
Well, the message remains loud and clear. At Augusta National, you play by their rules, or you don’t play at all.
Written by
Edited by
Deepali Verma