2025 Masters: Jose Luis Ballester urinates in Rae’s Creek at Augusta National during first round

As he got ready for the 13th tee at The Masters, Jose Luis Ballester found himself in a desperate situation. The Arizona State standout had to use the restroom – and Justin Thomas was still on the 12th green.

So, Ballester opted to use the restroom in the meantime. However, he forgot there were bathrooms near the tee box, so he opted for the famed Rae’s Creek at Augusta National Golf Club.

After his round, Ballester told reporters he didn’t quite know where to go since he forgot there were nearby restrooms. He also recalled the round of applause he got from the patrons in attendance, which made it even more memorable.

Here’s U.S. Amateur champion Josele Ballester talking about why he peed in Rae’s Creek during the first round of the Masters pic.twitter.com/CbO6KXBdWH

— Cameron Jourdan (@Cam_Jourdan) April 10, 2025

“I’m like, I really need to pee,” Ballester said afterward. “Didn’t really know where to go, and since JT had an issue on the green, I’m like, I’m just going to sneak here in the river and probably people would not see me that much, and then they clapped for me. Probably one of the claps that I really got today real loud, so that was kind of funny.”

Because of the applause he received, Ballester said people saw him sneak off quickly before hitting his tee shot. As for whether he expected any blowback, he made it clear he didn’t have any regrets, given the situation.

“They saw me,” Ballester said. “It was not embarrassing at all for me. If I had to do it again, I would do it again.”

Ballester finished his round at 4-over on the day, carding a 76 in his first-ever Masters as he competes as an amateur. He was in a group with Thomas, who shot 1-over 73, and reigning champion Scottie Scheffler. Scheffler headed into the clubhouse at 4-under, tied with Corey Conners for second place in the field behind leader Justin Rose.

Jose Luis Ballester qualified for the 2025 Masters by winning the U.S. Amateur in August. A native of Spain, he’s a three-time Honorable Mention All-America selection at Arizona State, where he has nine Top-5 finishes to his name. He turned in the best round of his career in September 2024 at the Sahalee Players Championship, where he finished tied for second at 3-under.

Ballester is one of five amateurs in the field at The Masters this year and is in the clubhouse with the third-lowest score of the group at 4-over. Two others – Justin Hastings and Hiroshi Tai – were still out on the course at the time of publication.