19th Hole

Rory McIlroy accused of being ‘out of touch’ following post-round comment at Bay Hill

Published

3 years ago

Mar 6, 2023

Bay Hill played difficult on Sunday. As a result, fans got to see a back-and-forth event with the leaderboard constantly in flux for much of Sunday’s final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

It was an exciting finish, and Kurt Kitayama (200-1 pre-tournament) ending up pulling off the shocking win over stars such as Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Viktor Hovland, and Tyrrell Hatton.

When speaking after his round, Rory McIlroy gave a bit of a strange response to what he believes fans want to see.

Rory today: "The lead's changing hands with guys making bogeys, not really birdies. So don't know how people find that entertainment value."

This is a point players, Tour often miss. We like when it's hard! We like seeing bogeys! Birdies aren't cool when everyone's making them!

— Dan Rapaport (@Daniel_Rapaport) March 6, 2023

Dan Rapaport of Barstool Sports added his opinion, saying,

“This is a point players, Tour often miss. We like when it’s hard! We like seeing bogeys! Birdies aren’t cool when everyone’s making them!”

Most of the twitter users replying to the tweet agreed.

I prefer birdies over bogeys however today was glorious

— Emerson Lotzia, Jr. (@EmersonLotzia) March 6, 2023

What separates players is not the easy but the challenging, fair but demanding. When you make it easy and favor birdies, you eliminate the mental grind side of the game, which makes it the most addictive

— Bhrett McCabe, PhD (@DrBhrettMcCabe) March 6, 2023

Kind of out of touch comment from Rory. Fans love tough golf more then 27 under micky mouse ? cupcake ? golf. Seeing the best have to struggle makes us all feel better about ourselves stinking. Not to mention more drama and unexpected twists then Birdie ? fest golf.

— Drizza77 (@drizza77) March 6, 2023

It was a fantastic leaderboard with 4 guys at 8 and 3 at 7 in the last hour. What’s the problem?

— Todd Bailey, PGA (@ToddABailey) March 6, 2023

Such an odd take by Rory. It’s almost like he’s become a bit detached from real golf and become one of the elite who doesn’t understand what fans want.

— Golf Lover UK (@GolfloverUK) March 6, 2023

I'd rather watch and play a Tournament where Par on the last 9 Sunday is actually worth something. This Course set up where 6 to 7 birdies are made from dartboard greens is boring stuff.

— Scott Hend (@hendygolf) March 6, 2023

That’s why a hard US Open is such a good watch.

— Eddie Pepperell (@PepperellEddie) March 6, 2023

IMO Rory is out of touch with the audience here. Majority of golf fans that tune in every week enjoy watching players tackle new obstacles, new course challenges, not partake in birdie fests.

— Alec Kowalczyk (@AlecKowalczyk4) March 6, 2023

I think we can all agree that a difficult test on Sunday and watching the world’s best struggling a bit on the golf course to see who overcomes the challenge is what most golf fans want to see!

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.”