19th Hole

Mickelson unveils 2020 Masters strategy: 47.5-inch driver and a ‘higher handicap’ iron set-up

Published

6 years ago

Nov 4, 2020

Phil Mickelson joined the Callaway Golf Podcast this week where he dished on his equipment set-up and strategy for next week’s Masters tournament.

There has been plenty of buzz around Bryson DeChambeau potentially introducing his 48-inch driver next week, and Lefty revealed on the show that he will be playing a 47.5-inch driver of his own.

When asked why he had decided to put a 47.5-inch driver in play at the year’s final major, Mickelson revealed that it all came down to distance and broke down why at Augusta carry distance is so critical.

“Well at Augusta, most of the (drives) carry the bunkers, and open up the fairways a little bit. So on number one, to carry the bunker on the right, to carry the bunker on two, to carry the bunker on eight, (and) to get it over the hill on 14 and 17.

You really want to fly the ball 315-320 (yards) minimum and that seems like a lot, and it is a lot. It’s just that if you can fly it (that distance) there you have a chance to take advantage of some of those holes.

For example, number one, if you can carry that bunker it’s a sand wedge in and you’re thinking birdie. If you have to hit a 3-wood off of the tee and go to the side, or if you can’t carry it and you have to play more to the left, it’s a 6- or 7-iron into the green, so you’re thinking par. So there’s – the ability to attack a number of holes if you can fly the ball a little bit farther.”

The 50-year-old also gave listeners an insight into his iron set-up for next week and will be relying heavily on Callaway’s Epic Forged Irons throughout the bag.

Lefty explained that while he always used the Epic Forged mid-irons, next week he’ll also be adding the shorter irons into his bag which he described as a “kind of a higher handicap club” – heaping praise on how fast the ball comes off the face of the irons.

“At Augusta, the grain of the grass is – they started mowing from the green back to the tee. And so you’re always into the grain for your approach shot. And the ball tends to sit down a little bit lower – you’re always catching it like a groove low, and the ball is then launching a little low and it’s spinning a little more. And it’s hard to get the ball up.

So I’m using the Epic Forged Irons that I’ve always had – or I’ve had the 4 and 5 iron in my bag for some time, I’ve used the 6 and 7 irons for some time, but I’m also going to use the short irons, the 8, 9 and wedge. And it’s funny, because it’s kind of a higher handicap club, because the ball takes off the face so fast.

But I have such a high spin rate already that I’m looking to reduce some of that spin. And this gives me a chance to come into the shots, into the greens at Augusta, much higher and softer.

I’m trying to hit every iron shot at Augusta, all the way from 1 through 18, as high and as soft as I can, and eliminate the ball running because the greens are so fast when they’re releasing the ball tends to not stop. Those Epic Forged Irons allow me to hit it full, hit the ball way up in the air, (and) come in a lot softer into those greens.”

Mickelson will be going in search of his fourth green jacket when he tees it up at Augusta National next week.

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.”