19th Hole

Gambler’s heartbreaking loss at PGA Championship will make you feel sick

Published

4 years ago

May 24, 2022

Winning a golf tournament is hard. Winning a major is very hard. Backing golfers to win majors can sometimes be a nightmare!

Related: Gambler bets $10k on 150-1 chance golfer at WM Phoenix Open

After the third round of last week’s PGA Championship, Mito Pereira stood on the 72nd tee with a small but significant advantage. He had been fighting all day to keep hold of a three shot overnight lead and, courtesy of two birdies against four bogeys, stood on the final par-4 with a single shot margin and one hand on the Wanamaker trophy.

Related: Justin Thomas gifts caddie Bones the major winning memento he never got from Phil Mickelson

And then the bad stuff started.

As we all now know, the promising Chilean hit his drive into the creek and took a penalty stroke before flying his ball to the left hand rough. The horror continued as it took three more to record a ‘6’ and a place one shot off a two-man play-off.

Pereira looked distraught and the golf world felt for him, but it may also have felt an element of sympathy for one of Pereira’s backers, sports bettor Rufus Peabody.

Peabody, who oversees data at Unabated, a stat-based sports information company, tweeted a copy of his bet on the former Korn Ferry Tour star – $500 to win $150k. The caption? “Well, that hurt.”

Well, that hurt. pic.twitter.com/6QGCefS9SJ

— Rufus (@RufusPeabody) May 22, 2022

Having made the wager on Friday, Peabody joined the hoards of golf viewers to witness the 27-year-old go from seventh after the first round to second at halfway, before a third round 69 gave him a healthy overnight lead.

Of course, Pereira was surrounded by the likes of Justin Thomas, Will Zalatoris, Matt Fitzpatrick, Rory McIlroy and Cameron Young, so the pressure was on, but all looked calm before that wayward last tee shot and the subsequent double-bogey.

Of course, backers were not playing for the trophy or the status, nor were they playing for what would have been a historic first win on the PGA Tour, but even as a professional sports gambler, it surely hit Peabody hard?

Not a bit.

The large-staking sports investor came back on to tweet calmly:

Yeah, I feel gutted. But nothing I can do. Outside my control. Experience the disappointment. Then reset, and move on. No "what ifs" allowed. That's how you survive doing this as long as I have.

— Rufus (@RufusPeabody) May 22, 2022

It may take a while for Pereira to get over those half-a-dozen shots, but Peabody was back at work on Monday, explaining:

Find joy in the process. As I write this, code is running on my computer, digesting this week's data and recalculating golfer ratings, getting me prepared for next week's PGA and Euro tour events. Whether this week was a win or a loss, tomorrow I start at zero.

— Rufus (@RufusPeabody) May 23, 2022

Rufus will be back this week with updated wagers, and Mito will be back on the course soon enough.

What is gone is gone. Reset.

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.”