19th Hole

Henrik Stenson says LIV critics need to widen their view

Published

3 years ago

Feb 27, 2023

Henrik Stenson, stripped of his Ryder Cup captaincy for joining LIV, has spoken of the hypocrisy he sees surrounding much of the opposition to the Saudi-backed tour.

In an interview with Kevin Garside of inews.co.uk, the Swede talks of criticism in one direction whilst overlooking what is happening next door.

“Where do you draw the line?” he asks. “You have people shouting recently about Qatar, about workforce abuses, poor conditions, accidents that lead to death.

“You can’t scream and shout about that then go to Dubai, lie on a beach and think everything’s lovely.”

“It is the same workforce that built the hotels in Dubai. I lived there for 10 years. People get so targeted on one area they can’t see the bigger picture.”

Stenson doesn’t deny the accusations regarding the human rights argument, but says the detractors should widen their view.

“I am open to sensible discussions on these things. We all have different views, right? We are talking about executions. We have that in the US. Do we stop playing there? China executes more people than the rest of the world combined. Not once have I been questioned about that when I have played there. Yes, we acknowledge the overall picture is not perfect [in Saudi] but we believe we have an opportunity to bridge some gaps and influence in different ways.”

Garside accepts that there is the basis of a debate, but clears up the similarity between the stated nations:

“It is not only a question of scale but process and access to proper representation,” he writes. “In that respect, we are not comparing like with like when weighing the USA and Saudi.”

Stenson points out that nations taking aim at golfers are able to look away when it comes to other business:

“The investors and owners of this business are doing business all over the world, yet we are the ones being held to account in a way others are not. I don’t think that’s fair.”

There is little doubt that the distribution of prize-money on the PGA Tour has come via the threat of LIV, with enhanced purses being the key to retaining the top players.

Stenson is well-versed in the way other sports handles and distributes their revenue.

“In major league baseball there is agreement between players and the organisation that so much of revenue goes into prize funds,” he says. “There have been discussions about how that subject has been handled over the years in golf and the PGA Tour in particular. I think it could have been a more balanced set-up. And there is no question the PGA Tour has been picking up all the talent from all over the world and keeping it. Other parts of world has seen and felt that.”

He expands on the difference between missing a cut and not being unpaid, and fulfilling an agreement in which a player is valued:

“Just because you know you are going to get a pay cheque does not mean you are not going to perform. In other sports, you are on a contract. You get paid whether you play or not. In our sport until now, you basically had to perform to get paid.”

Stenson, winner of the 2009 Players and the 2016 Open Championship, refutes the allegation that 54-hole tournaments are of ‘less value’ than the traditional four-rounder.

Talking of his ‘home’ sport, cross-country skiing, he explains, “It went from the 50k grind to the stadium events, quicker finish. There is enough in the golf schedule for both.”

“Besides,” he continued. “They still rank tournaments with 54 holes elsewhere. I thought the system ranked irrespective of what tour you are on. We are still beating world-class players.”

Stenson, co-captain of the Majesticks team alongside former Ryder Cup stalwarts Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood, was speaking at Mayakoba, the first of LIV’s 14 event schedule for 2023. He and his fellow teammates will next appear at LIV Golf Tucson, chasing their share of the $20 million purse, exactly matching that now offered by the PGA Tour for each of 10 of the 12 elevated events outside of the majors.

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.”