Augusta National, where every blade of grass gets manicured to perfection, expects everyone who walks those sacred fairways to follow perfect decorum—something Josele Ballester, 21, failed at during his Masters debut in April. The Spanish golfer was caught short on the par-five next, known as Azalea, and chose to use Rae’s Creek as an alternative lavatory spot, despite restrooms being available to the left of the tee box.

“I completely forgot that we had those restrooms,” the young golfer played it cool then, but when he had to return on Friday, the next day, he was quite nervous, contemplating what veteran golfers might think of him. But it seems experienced golfers like Scottie Scheffler completely understood Ballester’s side. In fact, in a new episode of Golf Sin Etiquettes, the young golfer shared that Scheffler approached him on the putting green with genuine concern, hours after the incident had taken place.

As translated from Spanish to English by ‘Handicap 54’, Josele Ballester revealed: “So, tell me what happened yesterday. I was about to go to bed and my wife told me that the young man I was playing with had a little trouble on the 13th hole,” Scheffler had asked him after which the 21-year-old narrated his story. Scheffler then hugged Ballester to show his support and said:

“Man, don’t worry. All the players are here ‘by your side’. And people don’t fully understand that you can’t hit a shot when you’re peeing on yourself. Today, go out and enjoy yourself and try to forget about it.”

Well, that was nice of Scheffler. After all, when the incident took place, it was presumed that Augusta National would have a dim view of Ballester, considering how serious officials are about decorum. Just a year ago, Australia’s Jason Day was in trouble there because of his choice of sweater, and earlier this year, a college coach was removed from the Masters range as he chose to wear shorts.

While Josele Ballester received some support, the Masters proved to be a challenging event for him. This was despite the fact that he was the first Spaniard to win the U.S. Amateur Championship.

Josele Ballester’s Masters debut experience!

He struggled from the opening tee shot, carding a disappointing 76 in the first round while playing alongside Scheffler and Justin Thomas. The pressure of competing at golf’s most prestigious venue clearly affected his performance, though he managed to par the 13th hole despite the unusual circumstances. SB Nation’s Jack Milko witnessed the infamous incident, noting how Ballester “sprinted toward the tributary and urinated about 60 yards short of the green.” Initially, Ballester showed no remorse. “It was not embarrassing at all for me,” he told reporters after Thursday’s round. “If I had to do it again, I would do it again.” 

Unfortunately, Friday brought more struggles for the Arizona State graduate. He followed his opening 76 with an even worse 78, missing the cut by eight shots. The weight of expectations and the viral nature of his bathroom break clearly took their toll. The incident created headlines around the globe, something Ballester sounded like he regretted on Friday at Augusta. “I already apologized to the club,” he shared after his second round. “I think we just move on from this moment.”

Now, it’s all in the past, it seems. Since turning professional, he has joined LIV Golf’s Fireballs team alongside mentor Sergio García. While his first Masters didn’t unfold as planned, the Spanish golfer discovered something more valuable than a good score–the true spirit of sportsmanship that makes golf special. What do you think?