AUGUSTA, Ga. — Augusta National was once a place Sergio Garcia reviled. It was a house of golf horrors for him, a place about which he once sounded as if he never wanted to visit again.

Then Garcia won the Masters last year, his first major championship triumph of a career littered with close calls and heartbreak en route to his then 0-for-73 record in majors.

Now Augusta National, a golf course Garcia once excoriated after a particularly frustrating Masters, holds such a special place in his heart that he named his first-born daughter, Azalea, after the flower for which the course has become so known.

“We got engaged New Year’s Eve 2016 to 2017 and the year before we came to Augusta, we were talking about kids and names and, out of the blue, [my wife, Angela Atkins] came up with the idea,’’ Garcia said Tuesday. “She said, ‘So if it works out, timing‑wise and place and stuff, why don’t we name our first kid regarding where you win your first major?’ I was like, ‘Well, that’s a great idea.’

“And then couple months later, we won here, so we started looking at different names from here that related to Augusta, obviously looked at Georgia, we looked at Magnolia, Holly, different ones, but we really liked Azalea, for different reasons. First of all, because we thought it was a very pretty name. You write it the same way in English and in Spanish, which is great, and also because of it’s the hole [No. 13] … that kind of turned things around on the final round and kind of got me going to be able to win the Masters last year.’’

In the third round last year, Garcia’s second shot to the par-3 13th green looked like it would roll into Rae’s Creek, but stayed up on the shaved bank and from there he would turn a possible bogey into a birdie.

Then, in Sunday’s final round, Garcia, trailing by two shots on the 13th hole, hooked his tee shot into bushes to the left of Rae’s Creek but managed to save par after taking a penalty drop.

“So,’’ Garcia said, “it’s just one of those nice stories that we’ll be able to tell her when she grows up a little bit.’’

As the defending champion, Garcia hosted the annual champion’s dinner Tuesday night and served some of his favorite tapas, which included Caesar salad, a rice and lobster dish, tres leches for dessert and some Spanish wines.

On Thursday, playing with Justin Thomas and U.S. Amateur winner Doc Redman, Garcia will be announced at the first tee as the defending champion — words that will be music to his ears.

“I’m really excited for many reasons,’’ Garcia said. “It’s been three amazing days already. The feeling that you get and the receptions that you get coming to Augusta as a Masters champion is different. Now as a Masters champion, it’s just a different feeling, it’s a different sensation, and it’s unbelievable. I’m enjoying every minute of it and just hoping that I can go out there and play great again and have a chance of defending a green jacket. It was fun to have it for a year, so I would like to extend that if possible.’’