19th Hole

Major champ explains why you should take Nick Faldo’s latest anti-LIV Golf rant with a ‘pinch of salt’

Published

3 years ago

Jun 29, 2023

Nick Faldo has been one of the most outspoken critics of LIV Golf over the past year and a half. This week, the six-time major champion is at the Belfry hosting the Betfred British Masters.

Related: Tiger Woods delivered stinging message to major winner after denying him lift on private jet

At the event, Faldo was asked about whether or not he believes LIV Golf will last, to which he opined that it would fail due to lack of interest.

Related: John Daly rolls up to Kenny Chesney concert as only he can

“I don’t think so, because nobody’s really interested,” he replied. “They’re not going to get the sponsorship they want. They call it a team [event] and it’s not because it’s stroke play.”

“You see your mates on the putting green and say, ‘Play well.’ Then you see them in the scorers’ tent and say, ‘What did you shoot?’ That’s it. A team is out there helping, shoulder to shoulder. That’s a true team.”

“You have the ultimate team event, the Ryder Cup, you know the passion and the atmosphere of that. They’re not playing with the same passion and atmosphere as the Ryder Cup. It’s only half a dozen [players] that are really current, half of the field I don’t really know, and half the field are there for the very nice last-placed money that you still get if you shoot 20-over.”

Sir Nick’s comments did not go unnoticed by LIV Golf player Graeme McDowell.

The Irishman joined the Bunkered podcast and shared his thoughts on Faldo’s criticism.

“It’s pinch of salt stuff nowadays,” he said. “I’ve seen it and I’ve heard it and I’ve read it and, listen, we know what opinions are. Everyone’s got one, right?”

“Nick’s there at the British Masters protecting [his event]. That’s the biggest takeaway for me over the last 12 months. People are going to protect what they’re going to protect in the moment.”

“I see players saying things and all they’re doing is protecting their territory. They’re protecting the tours that they’ve chosen to defend. It doesn’t mean they’re bad guys. It doesn’t mean that they’re wrong, or right, or whatever.

“I mean, Nick’s at the British Masters and he cares about his tournament, so he’s not going to say anything good about a world-class field at Valderrama this weekend. Of course, he’s not going to say anything good about us. I get it.

“I’m at that point where I don’t even hold anything against anybody anymore because all they’re doing is protecting their turf.”

McDowell said that Faldo has also been his hero but “doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

“Nick Faldo was my hero in the nineties. I had multiple Pringle sweaters in my closest. He’ll always be a legend to me. But he hasn’t been out here. He hasn’t come out to see this for himself. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.

“Just come out here and have a look and watch the best players in the world. There are guys that care a lot about this product and I can’t wait to see where it plugs in because I truly believe it will be a part of golf in the future.”

With plenty of unanswered questions about the PGA Tour/PIF merger, time will tell if McDowell is right.

New here?

Find out more about GolfWRX and the GolfWRX forums.

19th Hole

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.”