News
President Trump to award Tiger Woods the Presidential Medal of Freedom following “incredible comeback in sports and life”
On Monday, following Tiger Woods’ victory at the 2019 Masters, President Donald Trump announced that the 15-time major champion would be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Along with the Congressional Gold Medal, the Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, and Woods will become the fourth golfer in history to receive the medal.
President George W. Bush awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to both Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, while President Barack Obama bestowed the award upon Charlie Sifford in 2014.
President John. F. Kennedy established the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963, and it is an award which on average is handed out just 11 times per year.
With the second major of 2026 now behind us, the PGA Tour arrives in Texas for the CJ Cup Byron Nelson.
GolfWRX Tour Photographer, Greg Moore, is on site at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas, and he’s already captured several WITBs and a look at some new colorways of just-spotted L.A.B. Golf VZN.1i putters.
Check out links to all our photos below.
General Albums
- 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson – Monday #1
- 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson – Monday #2
- 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson – Monday #3
WITB Albums
- Brennan Little (Gary Woodland’s caddy) – WITB – 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Adam Svensson – WITB – 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Martin Laird – WITB – 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Lee Hodges – WITB – 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Aaron Wise – WITB – 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Dylan Wu – WITB – 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- AJ Ewart – WITB – 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
Pullout Albums
- New Graphite Design Tour AD shafts – 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- L.A.B. Golf VZN.1i putters (new colors) – 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
See what GolfWRXers are saying and join the discussion in the forums.
Aaron Rai upset the odds to win his first major championship on Sunday at Aronimink, firing a final round of 5-under par to see off his competitors and claim the winner’s check for $3,690,000.
Jon Rahm and Alex Smalley were the best of the chasing pack, with both men sharing runner-up spot which was good enough for each to receive a check for $1,804,000.
With a total prize purse of $20.5 million up for grabs, here’s a look at how much each player won at the 2026 PGA Championship.
Players who missed the PGA Championship cut each received $4,300 each.
1: Aaron Rai, $3,690,000
T2 : Jon Rahm, $1,804,000
T2 : Alex Smalley, $1,804,000
T4: Justin Thomas, $843,866
T4: Ludvig Aberg, $843,866
T4: Matti Schmid, $843,866
T7: Cameron Smith, $637,050
T7: Rory McIlroy, $637,050
T7: Xander Schauffele, $637,050
T10: Kurt Kitayama, $496,707
T10: Chris Gotterup, $496,707
T10: Justin Rose, $496,707
T10: Patrick Reed, $496,707
T14: Matt Fitzpatrick, $364,762
T14: Scottie Scheffler, $364,762
T14: Max Greyserman, $364,762
T14: Ben Griffin, $364,762
T18: Maverick McNealy, $229,128
T18: Jordan Spieth, $229,128
T18: Stephan Jaeger, $229,128
T18: Padraigh Harrington, $229,128
T18: David Puig, $229,128
T18: Harris English, $229,128
T18: Min Woo Lee, $229,128
T18: Joaquin Niemann, $229,128
T26: Nick Taylor, $125,523
T26: Alex Noren, $125,523
T26: Cameron Young, $125,523
T26: Andrew Novak, $125,523
T-26: Daniel Hiller, $125,523
T26: Tom Hoge, $125,523
T26: Sam Burns, $125,523
T26: Hideki Matsuyama, $125,523
T26: Bud Cauley, $125,523
T35: Christiaan Bezuidenhout, $78,805
T35: Patrick Cantlay, $78,805
T35: Ryo Hisatsune, $78,805
T35: Daniel Berger, $78,805
T35: Ryan Fox, $78,805
T35: Haotong Li, $78,805
T35: Aldrich Potgieter, $78,805
T35: Si Woo Kim, $78,805
T35: Martin Kaymer, $78,805
T44: Chris Kirk, $53,743
T44: Matt Wallace, $53,743
T44: Shane Lowry, $53,743
T44: Jhonattan Vegas, $53,743
T44: Denny McCarthy, $53,743
T44: Chandler Blachet, $53,743
T44: Taylor Pendrith, $53,743
T44: Dustin Johnson, $53,743
T44: Nicolai Hojgaard, $53,743
T44: Michael Kim, $53,743
T44: Kristoffer Reitan, $53,743
T55: Collin Morikawa, $34,186
T55: Corey Conners, $34,186
T55: Andrew Putnam, $34,186
T55: Brooks Koepka, $34,186
T55: Mikael Lindberg, $34,186
T60: Sami Valimaki, $29,218
T60: Sahith Theegala, $29,218
T60: Rico Hoey, $29,218
T60: Rickie Fowler, $29,218
T60: Brian Harman, $29,218
T65: Casey Jarvis, $26,900
T65: Jason Day, $26,900
T65: Rasmus Hojgaard, $26,900
T65: Keith Mitchell, $26,900
T65: Sam Stevens, $26,900
Justin Rose WITB 2026 (April): Full WITB breakdown with new McLaren irons
RBC Heritage Tour Report: More minis, course-specific setups, Spider & GTS launches
What’s the story behind Webb Simpson’s custom-stamped irons?
Cadillac Championship Tour Report: Spieth’s sizable changes, McLaren Golf launches, and more
Kristoffer Reitan’s winning WITB: 2026 Truist Championship
Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2026 Cadillac Championship
Aaron Rai’s winning WITB: 2026 PGA Championship
Nelly Korda WITB 2026 (April)
Justin Rose on the switch to McLaren Golf, learnings from previous equipment moves
Photos from the 2026 PGA Championship
Patrick Reed WITB 2026 (May)
Driver: Titleist GT3 (9 degrees) Buy here. Shaft: Aldila Rogue Silver 130 M.S.I. 70 TX 3-wood: TaylorMade Qi35 (15 degrees)...
Aaron Rai’s winning WITB: 2026 PGA Championship
Driver: TaylorMade M6 (9 degrees) Shaft: Aldilda Synergy Blue 70 TX 3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue...
Michael Block WITB 2026 (May)
Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D (9 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black VeloCore+ 5 X 3-wood: TaylorMade Qi4D (15 degrees @14.25) Shaft: Mitsubishi...
Bryson DeChambeau WITB 2026 (May)
Driver: Krank Formula Fire Pro (6 degrees) Shaft: Project X Prototype 3-wood: Krank Formula Fire (10 degrees) Shaft: LA Golf BAD...
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Whats in the Bag3 weeks agoKristoffer Reitan’s winning WITB: 2026 Truist Championship
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Whats in the Bag2 weeks ago
Aaron Rai’s winning WITB: 2026 PGA Championship
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bj
Apr 17, 2019 at 7:47 am
Agent Orange strikes again
Joe
Apr 17, 2019 at 1:02 am
As a Navy veteran, I’ll side with General Matts when he declares trump is an idiot. Mattis will salute Clinton, Bush, and Obama, but won’t salute Trump. He might know a little more about the current president than the hacks around here.
Harry Hoopla
Apr 16, 2019 at 8:44 am
The Presidental Medal of Freedom is a joke. For christ sake Ellen DeGeneres has one.
Patty McReederson
Apr 16, 2019 at 8:33 am
A Presidential Medal of Freedom? Really?? I think an honorary European Tour Membership is more in line here..
Jose Pinatas
Apr 16, 2019 at 8:19 am
Sigh… go away Trump. If he goes away, I will. Maybe worth it for some of you…
Imissalot
Apr 15, 2019 at 6:50 pm
What an honor for Tiger to get this from possibly the greatest president to ever hold the office!
Aj
Apr 16, 2019 at 7:40 pm
Idiot
Boyo
Apr 18, 2019 at 12:20 pm
Your handle says it all!
Unfortunately you and your ilk procreate at a 4 to 1 level to the more intelligent people in this country.
Seth Riser
Apr 15, 2019 at 5:58 pm
No one deserves this award more than Tiger Woods. I hope he waits a couple years and receives it from a real president and not a self-aggrandizing buffoon.
the dude
Apr 15, 2019 at 8:11 pm
…ugh…and you were doing so good…
Pelling
Apr 15, 2019 at 5:51 pm
It’s a shame that the President has to insert himself into Tiger’s story, and ride on Tiger’s coattails. On his own, Trump is a loser, a cheater at golf, and no one wants to have anything to do with him. Maybe by 2020 we will be done with the orange clown and he can employ a foot wedge on his own ball at his own golf course where illegal immigrants toil in violation of the law.
Snowflake
Apr 15, 2019 at 7:07 pm
Most of the pga tour supports this great president. Look it up for yourself. Your opinion is only respected at munis, where you probably spend your time playing
bc
Apr 15, 2019 at 7:56 pm
Yes they support him because he is all about helping the rich get richer, and since most of them are millionaires they like that plan!
Mad-Mex
Apr 15, 2019 at 10:50 pm
Name the last poor person you ever worked for,,,,,,,,, I love his plan and no, I am not rich, just your average ex-illegal who became legal,served for 20+ years, made some smart investments and after 20 year in Fed. Law Enforcement, will retire next year at age 60 on about $7,500 a month.
Nyt
Apr 16, 2019 at 1:45 am
Well done sir, congratulations on your success in life.
Jose Pinatas
Apr 16, 2019 at 8:17 am
7500 a month? That’s rich bro.
Mad-Mex
Apr 16, 2019 at 8:30 pm
Thank You,,,,,
Did not do it alone, great woman next to me. Discussing part is I am considered a “traitor” and sell out by several family members because I don’t “share” my good “luck”.
Big Bad Wolf
Apr 15, 2019 at 11:07 pm
President Eisenhower and broadcast TV help create and promote “Munis” to help the game grow. Private country clubs did nothing but perpetuate exclusiveness and status as it has done from the beginning. If there were no “Munis” the PGA and LPGA Tour would be missing many great players today!