19th Hole

Charles Howell III candidly discusses his struggles to win on the PGA Tour

Published

8 years ago

May 31, 2018

Charles Howell III turned pro in 2000. Now 38, he’s won just twice on the PGA Tour and has never finished inside the top 10 in a major championship. You can bet this frustrates Howell more than it does any of his critics or detractors.

In many people’s minds, Howell has underachieved. A Haskins Award winner at Oklahoma State, individual NCAA Champion in 2000, prodigiously gifted with the golf club and able to generate massive amounts of clubhead speed, Howell was the 2001 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year. A winner at the Michelob Championship in 2002, he’s only won once since.

During his Gear Dive podcast, Johnny Wunder asked Howell about this, in a roundabout way, and he was refreshingly candid and remarkably insightful in his response.

Johnny said he thought Howell would have 15-20 wins at this point in his career, then asked, “Looking back, are there any adjustments…to your game, or how you approached your game that you would change?”

Howell replied

“I would have thought at this point in time that I would have had more wins as well. A thing I’ve struggled with is when I’ve gotten in contention to win a golf tournament, be it through 36 holes or 54 holes…I at times struggle with trying too hard to win, where it means a little bit too much at times. I wish I had the ability to play as if it didn’t matter or let the golf just be what it is and let the wins come when they may.”

“That’s one thing…as of late…I’ve played better golf because I have a better understanding of the variance of the game. I have a better understanding that no amount of work or practice…is going to guarantee success. Now, it may set the odds in your favor, but there’s still going to be variance out there. You’re going to have the odd shots here or there that aren’t good and the odd results that aren’t good. I’ve become a lot better at accepting that. I wish I would have been that way more when I was young. It’s not that I wasn’t told that, it’s just that I didn’t truly understand it…”

“I’ve always been a guy that practices a lot and does all that I can do to try to get better, and maybe at times I’ve overworked myself…I also at times maybe gone too far down the road on bad swing ideas, as opposed to abandoning them sooner. I’d go down ‘em until…the ship sank, if you will…But listen, we all live and learn.”

CH3’s honesty is remarkable, really, in the world of professional sports. He didn’t have to admit to struggling to seal the deal or stubborn commitment to swing changes that aren’t working, but his frankness only serves to make us root for him even harder.

You can listen to Johnny’s full talk with Charles Howell III here.

19th Hole

How much each player won at the 2026 Masters

Published

1 month ago

Apr 13, 2026

Gianni Magliocco

Rory McIlroy made it two wins in as many years at Augusta National, seeing off the challengers on a dramatic Sunday to slip on the green jacket once again. The victory earned Rory a whopping payday of $4.5 million, with Scottie Scheffler his closest challenger earning $2.43 million for his sole runner-up finish.

With a total prize purse of $22.5 million up for grabs, here’s a look at how much each player won at the 2026 Masters tournament.

For players that did not make the cut, they still earned $25k for their efforts at the year’s opening major.

1: Rory McIlroy, $4.5 million
2: Scottie Scheffler, $2.43 million
T3: Tyrrell Hatton, $1.08 million
T3: Russell Henley, $1.08 million
T3: Justin Rose, $1.08 million
T3: Cameron Young, $1.08 million
T7: Collin Morikawa, $725,625
T7: Sam Burns, $725,625
T9: Xander Schauffele, $630,00
T9: Max Homa, $630,00
11: Jake Knapp, $562,500
T12: Jordan Spieth, $427,500
T12: Brooks Koepka, $427,500
T12: Hideki Matsuyama, $427,500
T12: Patrick Reed, $427,500
T12: Patrick Cantlay, $427,500
T12: Jason Day, $427,500
T18: Viktor Hovland, $315,000
T18: Maverick McNealy, $315,000
T18: Matt Fitzpatrick, $315,000
T21: Keegan Bradley, $252,000
T21: Ludvig Aberg, $252,000
T21: Wyndham Clark, $252,000
T24: Matt McCarty, $182,083
T24: Adam Scott, $182,083
T24: Sam Stevens, $182,083
T24: Chris Gotterup, $182,083
T24: Michael Brennan, $182,083
T24: Brian Campbell, $182,083
T30: Alex Noren, $146,250
T30: Harris English, $146,250
T30: Shane Lowry, $146,250
T33: Gary Woodland, $121,500
T33: Dustin Johnson, $121,500
T33: Brian Harman, $121,500
T33: Tommy Fleetwood, $121,500
T33: Ben Griffin, $121,500
T38: Jon Rahm, $105,750
T38: Ryan Gerard, $101,250
T38: Haotong Li, $96,750
T41: Justin Thomas, $92,250
T41: Sepp Straka, $87,750
T41: Jacob Bridgeman, $83,250
T41: Kristoffer Reitan, $78,750
T41: Nick Taylor, $74,250
46: Sungjae Im, $69,750
47: Si Woo Kim, $65,250
48: Aaron Rai, $61,650
T49: Corey Conners, $57,600
T49: Marco Penge, $57,600
51: Kurt Kitayama, $55,250
52: Sergio Garcia, $54,000
53: Rasmus Hojgaard, $52,650
54: Charl Schwartzel, $51,300

19th Hole

CBS’s Sunday Masters coverage slammed by golf fans

Published

1 month ago

Apr 13, 2026

Gianni Magliocco

While Sunday was a dramatic day at the Masters, many golf fans were left feeling frustrated by the CBS final round coverage.

There were plenty of moments that golf fans took to social media to air their frustrations on Sunday over, including a lack of shots being shown throughout the day, being behind the live action, confusion over the approach shots of the final group on 18, and providing an angle for the winning putt where the cup couldn’t be seen.

Here’s a look at some of the criticisms that were directed at the CBS coverage throughout the day on X:

This has been a brutal broadcast for CBS. When the folks from Augusta sit down with them this year, you can bet they’ll talk about this 15 seconds where we have no idea where Rory’s ball went, and Dottie moans. #TheMasters pic.twitter.com/ak3mkpIN7V

— Ryan (@PossiblyRy) April 12, 2026

It’s rare criticism coming in for CBS, who are usually heavily praised for their Masters coverage each year.

19th Hole

The surprise club Tommy Fleetwood says is key to his Masters chances

Published

1 month ago

Apr 7, 2026

Gianni Magliocco

Tommy Fleetwood goes in search for the first major victory of his career again this week, with the Englishman proving to be a popular pick at Augusta National.

Fleetwood’s best showing at Augusta came back in 2024 where he finished T3, and while speaking at his pre-tournament press conference, the 35-year-old emphasized the importance of his 9-wood in his pursuit of the green jacket.

Speaking on Tuesday to media, Fleetwood said:

“It’s a great 9-wood golf course. I think it’s always been — I can’t remember when I first put like a 9-wood in or a high lofted club, but it’s a perfect like 9-wood golf course. I’ve had that in the bag for a few years.”

The Englishman continued, revealing that his strategy for the week won’t just be to hit driver off the tee as much as possible:

“Yeah, it’s funny really because I know Augusta is probably associated with being fairly forgiving off the tee in a way, so you think you can whale around driver a little bit. But I don’t necessarily think that’s always the play for me. I think there’s holes that set up really well where I can draw it with the mini driver if I’m feeling less comfortable with the driver and things like that.”

That strategy he believes will make his TaylorMade Qi10 9-wood extra critical this week in Georgia:

“The biggest thing is the 9-wood for me. If I can put myself in position on the par-5s or the 4th long par-3, like it — for me, I can’t really hit that high 4-iron, so 9-wood helps me a lot.”