19th Hole

The ‘harsh’ words Tiger gave Justin Thomas that made him a better player

Published

4 years ago

Dec 17, 2021

Honesty may always be the best policy, even when a very progressive youngster asks a true great for advice.

Readying himself to play alongside his father at this week’s PNC Championship, Justin Thomas, the current world number 6, recalled a series of past events that may have given him a further boost to his burgeoning career circa 2017/18.

Related: Tiger reveals Charlie’s lowest ever score ahead of PNC Championship appearance

Following a season that saw JT go back-to-back in Hawaii, land his first major (PGA) and follow up with wins at the Dell Tech and CJ Cup, the then 24-year-old found himself paired with his lifetime hero at the Hero Challenge. However, whilst that was the first time they played together, it was after the 2018 Genesis that he remembers asking the question.

Related: Tiger can’t stop smiling at video comparing Charlie’s golf mannerisms to his

Speaking at this week’s PNC Championship, JT recalled how the conversation went down: “I’m like, ‘Hey, we played a lot at home, but now we played in a tournament,’” Thomas remembers. “What do you see in what do I need to get better at?”

“Immediately he’s like, ‘You don’t have near enough shots. Like, you can work it but you don’t have enough shots to be, you know, as dominant as I was.’ That kind of thing. He’s like, ‘You have some that you can hit, but you don’t have all of them and you don’t have enough.’”

Honesty, but perhaps what JT needed to hear, if not particularly what he wanted. Indeed, despite not changing his entire game, he went on to win his very next tournament at the Honda and significantly his first at Firestone, at a course and event Tiger has won a record eight times.

“It’s a 9-iron, 160 yards to a middle pin, like, I’m going to hit a 9-iron. I’m not going to feel like I need to hook it or hit a big slice,” he said. “But at the end of the day, there’s definitely a lot of shots throughout the year that I’m able to use that to help me. Or there’s pins that I can maybe get close to that the person I’m playing with can’t. So it’s helped.”

Tiger isn’t one of those that sees one shot and wants to repeat it. I guess golf viewers have seen much of that in evidence over the years and in the 15 major wins and there certainly won’t be many better-qualified advisors in the game.

Often called JT’s big brother, Woods now has his own son, Charlie, playing alongside him this week and looking up to the very man that his father advised in 2018.

With the two families extremely close, Charlie will not lack in candidates for his own mentor, but none with better qualifications than his own ‘big brother’.

Certainly not finished at the top yet, Thomas has learnt from that fateful day and is prepared to pass on his own advice.

“I see it in a lot of rookies or even players that have been out here that are kind of like, on that edge,” Thomas said. “It’s very, very similar to a lot of stuff that I see, and I can see why he saw it in me now.”

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.”