Sergio Garcia has come down with a case of amnesia regarding what happened on the par-5 15th hole in the first round of his Masters title defense last year.

“I don’t even remember,” he said in mid-March when asked if it was difficult to regroup for the second round after disaster struck late in the first round.

Garcia had a 13 on the 15th. Starting with his second shot, he hit five balls that cleared the water in front of the green only to see them roll back down a bank into the drink. The 13 broke the record for highest score on the hole by two shots and tied the record for highest score on any hole in Masters history (done on the par-3 12th hole and the par-5 13th).

Garcia was 2-over on his round until he reached the 15th hole, which played under par (4.68) last year. He left it 10-over. After playing his final three holes in 1-under, with a birdie on No. 16, he signed for 81. He followed with 78 (making par on 15) to miss the cut by 10 shots. He then had to stay in Augusta for two more days to put the green jacket on the winner, Patrick Reed.

Garcia’s second shot on No. 15 was 206 yards to a green with the pin cut in the front right.

The first shot was hit with a 6-iron. The last four, after his drop in front of the water, with a wedge, as he was determined to pull off the shot until he got it right. When he finally got the ball to stop on the green, he one-putted.

“It’s not the first time it’s been there, so it’s not new, but with the firmness of the greens and everything, I felt like the ball was going to stop and unfortunately for whatever (reason) it didn’t want to,” he said after the round, referring to the pin position.

He said at the time that he thought his first attempt on his approach shot “was perfect. Straight at the flag. I don’t know, if it carries probably 2 more feet, it’s probably good. And if it probably carries a foot less, it probably doesn’t go off the green and probably stays on the fringe, but unfortunately I flew it on the perfect spot for it to come back. And then I kept hitting good shots with the sand wedge and unfortunately I don’t know why, the ball just wouldn’t stop.

“It’s the first time in my career where I make a 13 without missing a shot,” he said. “Simple as that. I felt like I hit a lot of good shots and unfortunately the ball just didn’t want to stop.”

The 13 put quite a damper on his defense. Two days before the first round he said “no matter what, it’s going to be amazing.”

Now, he returns for his 21st Masters without the pressure of being the defending champion, although he doesn’t see it that way.

“Not really,” he said. “You’re still trying to do well. It doesn’t matter if you’re defending or you’re not. That doesn’t really change.”

He does return knowing he can win at Augusta National.

“Of course, I’ve done it,” he said. “That kind of tells you everything. It’s a great feeling going there knowing you’ve done it and you’re going to be a past champion for the rest of your life. It’s very exciting.”

Unlike some players, Garcia doesn’t think about the upcoming Masters months ahead of time.

“I won’t starting thinking about Augusta until after Austin,” Garcia said, referring to the Match Play championship two weeks prior to the Masters. “I’m not going to lie, it comes to your mind. But you’re not out there thinking every single shot, ‘is this an Augusta shot?’”

The missed cut at the 2018 Masters was a continuation of Garcia’s struggles in major championships. Counting the final major of 2017, the PGA Championship, he has missed the cut in the past five majors.

Garcia was in the news in early February for the wrong reason after being disqualified for “serious misconduct” and fined by the European Tour for damaging five greens in the third round at the Saudi International. The previous day, Garcia had taken several swipes at the sand in frustration after leaving a ball in a bunker, but was not penalized.

He apologized at the time he was disqualified, saying, “I respect the decision of my disqualification. In frustration, I damaged a couple of greens, which I apologize for, and I have informed my fellow players it will never happen again.”

He apologized again, 10 days later, before the Genesis Open in Los Angeles.

“I’ve obviously had some time to reflect, and want to again say I’m sorry to my fans and fellow competitors,” Garcia wrote on instagram. “What happened is not an example I want to set, and it’s not who I truly am. I am an emotional player, and while I believe that’s one of my biggest strengths, it’s also one of my biggest flaws. I’m focused on working hard to channel that emotion the correct way and to be the best me, learn from it and move forward.”