19th Hole

Brooks Koepka talks the Olympics, Kobe Bryant, and Tiger at the Masters in a SiriusXM Town Hall broadcast

Published

6 years ago

Feb 19, 2020

Kimberly White/Getty Images for SiriusXM

While Brooks Koepka’s comments on SiriusXM regarding Patrick Reed grabbed the headlines this week, the four-time major champion spoke about several interesting subjects in the town hall broadcast, including the Olympics, Kobe Bryant and what Tiger Woods said to him following the 2019 Masters.

On the subject of the Olympics, Koepka stated how he was currently on the fence about the event, explaining how he believes it would be “cool to be an Olympian” but that it has “thrown a kind of a wrench in the schedule.”

“Right now, to be honest with you, I’m kind of 50-50. I want to do it, yes, I think it would be awesome to do. But at the same time we have majors, WGCs, the playoffs, its all kind of… I mean, these (motions to PGA Championship trophy) take it out of me, I’ll be honest with you. You come down and I need two days just to kind of mentally recharge.

It’ll be interesting just the timing of it, where it is at. The playoffs are kind of important. I’d like $15 mil. I think that’d be nice. I’d like to be fresh for that. If anything I’m leaning more towards going. It’s an honor. You play for your country.”

On hearing of Kobe Bryant’s death, Koepka spoke about how he was blown away, how he found it difficult to believe it was real, and how despite never meeting Bryant, the loss hit him so hard that he ended up crying in his hotel room.

As Bryant was his childhood idol, Koepka said he got on the phone that night to Nike to ensure that the unfinished project of his Kobe Bryant-inspired golf shoes would be completed to honor the basketball great.

View this post on Instagram

As soon as I knew I was going to play in The Genesis Invitational back in the fall, I started working with @nike to showcase my love for Kobe. After his passing, it felt even more surreal to pay homage and channel the ultimate #MambaMentality this week.

A post shared by Brooks Koepka (@bkoepka) on Feb 13, 2020 at 6:00am PST

The 31-year-old lost out to Tiger Woods by one stroke at the 2019 Masters, and recounted how Woods was quick to remind him that this levelled up their affair after Koepka had seen off Woods’ challenge at the 2018 PGA Championship.

“Augusta was interesting because, coming down the stretch I rinsed one on 12. We all know what happened. We all know he won. But it was crazy walking off the green and being there to congratulate him. The first thing he said was, ‘One-and-one now.’ (laughs)”

The entire Brooks Koepka Town Hall special will be rebroadcast on SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio on Wednesday, Feb. 19 (10:00 pm ET), Friday, Feb. 21 (8:00 pm ET) and Sunday, Feb. 23 (noon ET). The full special is also available now on SiriusXM On Demand.

Brooks on the Olympics

Brooks on Kobe Bryant

Brooks on Tiger at the Masters

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.”