19th Hole

Lexi Thompson staying positive after recently making big putting adjustment

Published

4 years ago

Nov 18, 2021

On the 72nd hole at last weekend’s Pelican Women’s Classic, 11-time LPGA winner Lexi Thompson stood over a par putt that would have defeated Nelly Korda, Lydia Ko and Sei Young Kim.

She missed it and once again must have rued yet another opportunity to win for the first time since June 2019.

Related: How does Lexi Thompson solve her putting woes? – GolfWRXers discuss

Still, there was the play-off, but the result was similar, continuing a worrying trend in losses down the stretch or even head-to-head in deciders.

Indeed, memories started flooding back to the US Women’s Open when the 26-year-old lost a five-shot lead with an abject short game display, and even further back to 2017 when despite winning the Race to the CME Globe (essentially the number one ranking), she missed a two-foot putt to win the final event of the year.

Related: Symetra pro opens up on the harsh financial realities of life on Tour

She isn’t worried, though, and on the eve of the closing event of the 2021 season commented, “I didn’t make the few that came down the stretch, but it’s an improvement. That’s really all I’m going for. I have a lot of golf to be played in my life”.

Lexi recently switched to the claw grip at the Solheim Cup in a bid to improve her performance on the greens (she currently 138th on tour in putting average).

Working for 3-5 hours every day on her putting, the one-time Major winner said “I don’t even know how my back is still attached. It takes a lot of hard work, and it’s all about confidence and getting the stroke consistent enough and holing the putts under pressure, which I’ll get to.”

A change to the claw grip may, as it does, look ugly, but it resulted in a much-improved putting display last week, eventually ranking fourth in a top-quality field, her best ranking for an age.

Working with mental coach John Denney and now alongside a new caddy, Will Davidson, Thompson has a new outlook on her game. Preferring to see golf as not being life or death, Davidson is reported by Golf Digest to say, “still be focused on things we need to be focused on but keep your mind off things that can creep in and cause doubt. Keep your mind occupied, and those doubts go away.”

Results look to be improving, too, with four top-12 finishes in her last five starts, and as I write, she is currently in the top half of the field at the CME Group Tour Championship. So far, she has parred all the par-five holes, perhaps disappointing for a player that never ranks outside the top three for distance, but there is also (so far) no bogeys in her first round.

This new outlook, new grip, new attitude and new team could finally be the thing that takes the child superstar over the line again. Only 12 when qualifying for her first US Women’s Open, this has already been a long career despite being four years away from her 30th birthday, but there is plenty still there.

“I think the caddie-player relationship is the biggest thing out here,” Thompson said. “If you have somebody out here who you’re not gelling with by your side, it can make a big impact. We get along so well; he’s great out there with me. We’re learning with each other; we’re six weeks in, we’re still learning. He’s been a great help and I’m fortunate to have him by my side.”

2022 could be a very big year for Lexi.

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.”