Arizona State golf coach kicked out of Masters practice for dress code faux pas

Arizona State men’s golf coach Matt Thurmond discovered Monday that Augusta National doesn’t mess around with its rules about shorts crossing the ropes and entering the course or practice range.

Thurmond needed to leave the practice range because he decided to wear shorts instead of pants, he confirmed in a post to X on Monday.

“Strolled out onto the Augusta range today with my coach badge,” Thurmond wrote. “Got removed for wearing shorts. First bogey of the week. Celebrated with an egg salad sandwich. Pants tomorrow.”

Thurmond attended the Masters with Arizona State senior Jose Luis Ballester, according to USA Today, and was talking with Arizona State alum Kevin Yu while on the practice range.

After revealing the mistake on social media, one user who wrote, “Come on Matt. You’re smarter than that!”

“I went out on the range without thinking, gave [Yu] a hug,” Thurmond told Golfweek. “After about one shot and one quick hello, they came out and said, ‘I’m sorry, sir, you can’t be on the range with your shorts.’”

Ballester, the reigning United States Amateur champion and current Sun Devil, will participate in his second major this weekend, teeing off with Scottie Scheffler and Justin Thomas when the opening round begins Thursday.

The trio will also be paired together on Friday before everything changes for the final two rounds based on who makes the cut.

Ballester also competed in the British Open during the 2023 schedule, shooting 5-over and missing the cut.

“The Masters is such an emotional week, you try to do everything perfect,” Ballester told reporters this week, according to Golfweek. “Coach [Thurmond] told me not to start doing different things, or prepare for this tournament in a different way, just because it’s more special.”

Arizona State hired Thurmond in 2016 following his 15 seasons with Washington, and he inherited a program with a storied history that includes Jon Rahm, Phil Mickelson and the four combined Masters they’ve won throughout their respective careers.

And now, after this week, he’ll remember to wear pants while on the Augusta practice range.

“My bad, it was a mistake I made,” Thurmond told Golfweek. “I want to follow the rules here when I’m at Augusta and do everything right. Lucky to be here and appreciate everything here. I just made a mistake.”