19th Hole
Nick Faldo vs Phil Mickelson, who was better? – GolfWRXers have their say
In our forums, our members have been comparing the careers of Nick Faldo and Phil Mickelson. WRXer ‘Body_Visions’ asks fellow members who they rank higher and WRXers have been getting involved putting forward compelling cases for both men in what is a very evenly matched showdown.
Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- Bigim1022: “I’d say Faldo also. Similar # of career wins, Faldo has one more Major, but Phil won 3 of the 4. Edge still goes to Faldo, 97 weeks at #1 in the world is not nothing.”
- the bishop: “Interesting question. If it were just a question of skill set I’d say Phil easily. Not a knock on Faldo but Phil has a lot more tools in the toolbox. If I had to pick one, I’d say Faldo by a whisker but can’t argue with those who pick Phil.”
- Lark: “Phil. If Faldo played the prime years of his career at the same time that Tiger was in his prime, I don’t think he would have had the same accomplishments.”
- braincramp52: “No brainer. Phil did what he did playing against Tiger.”
- Hawkeye77: “Phil was a phenom. Phil won early and often but couldn’t win majors. Came out with 10 wins (not including his am win) in his first 5 years on Tour. Who was number one Phil’s first few seasons? Faldo – the phenom couldn’t overtake him. From ’92 and through 2005 and beyond, number ones included Faldo, Price, Norman, Els, Lehman, Singh, Duval, Westwood, Donald – they manage to get to number one during the Tiger era, Phil couldn’t manage it. Just food for thought. And still, Tiger or no, why comparing players of different eras (although Phil and Faldo overlapped a bit) just doesn’t get very far because of all the hedging and qualifying either way, but it’s still fun to do.”
- Philomathesq: “For all those that keep saying Phil was hampered by Tiger, I just took a look at all Phil’s 2nd place finishes in the PGA Tour from 1997 to present. I only found three instances where Phil lost to Tiger. So, I’m not sure the argument that Phil would have won exponentially more (or, ****, more than three additional tournaments) is valid. Moreover, we have no evidence that if Tiger weren’t around that someone else wouldn’t have stepped up. That is, simply because Phil finished second to Tiger doesn’t mean Phil would have won without Tiger competing. 2001 Bay Hill/Arnold Palmer. 2002 US Open (would have given Phil the Grand Slam). 2005 Ford Championship at Doral.”
Entire Thread: “Nick Faldo vs Phil Mickelson, who was better?”
19th Hole
How much each player won at the 2026 Masters
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
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
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.”

Tommy Fleetwood WITB 2026
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