19th Hole

Phil Mickelson’s LIV Golf sign-on fee is revealed as he’s now expected to miss PGA Championship

Published

4 years ago

Apr 28, 2022

To clear up the most recent speculation, Phil Mickelson’s agents recently released a statement confirming his intention to defend his PGA Championship and take part in the US Open, the latter being the only major he has yet to win.

Related: Phil Mickelson requests release to play Saudi Golf League ahead of comeback

SportFive agency representative Steve Loy made the official announcement that:

“Our client Phil Mickelson is officially registered to play in the PGA Championship as well as the U.S. Open. We have also filed a request on his behalf for a release to play in the first LIV Golf Invitational in London, June 9 – 11. This request complies with the deadline of April 25 set forth by the PGA Tour to compete in a conflicting tour event.”

The statement continued with less certainty:

“Phil currently has no concrete plans on when and where he will play. Any actions taken are in no way a reflection of a final decision made, but rather to keep all options open.”

Related: ‘It’s pitiful’ – Gary Player blasts treatment of Phil Mickelson

As per the statement, the 51-year-old has also officially requested a release from the PGA Tour in order to play at the opening event of the LIV Golf Invitational Series, something that a report in The Telegraph suggest has riled the PGA of America with the possible result that he is forced to withdraw from the defence at Southern Hills.

With the inaugural tournament taking place at the Centurion Club in London just a week before that illusive major at Brookline, and the increasing threat of legal action between the two sides, there is also speculation Mickelson may not attempt to complete the career grand slam.

The six-time major winner has had a torrid few months.

Initially promoting the Saudi golf league, a released conversation with a renown golf reporter revealed he believed he could use the threat of the new tour as leverage against the PGA Tour against their stance on media rights.

That led to something of a ‘no-man’s-land’ for Mickelson with the PGA Tour taking a stern stance against his comments, players distancing themselves from the lucrative prize-money on offer, and LIV chairman, Greg Norman, having to rehash initial plans.

The resulting furore led to Mickelson taking a self-enforced break from the PGA Tour and Norman admitting that:

“It was a kick in the teeth. There’s no question about it. It was a gut punch – we were so close. On that Tuesday we had our strength of field ready to go and the PGA Tour heard about this and threw a giant redwood tree in our roadway. And they did. There’s no question about it. They created a disruption by putting that information out, all those comments about Phil out there.”

With the latest statement seeming to confirm that the Saudi-backed tour has welcomed back Mickelson with an open-door policy, The Telegraph report that the 51-year-old received $30m up front and must appear in each Series event or accept the penalty of paying back a percentage of that fee and more.

Whilst PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has suggested he will grant leave to tour members in order for them to play at the opener taking place opposite the Canadian Open, further agreement looks in doubt as the following events clash with the John Deere Classic and Rocket Mortgage Classic before three of the last five events also take place in the USA.

Last week, world number 1053, Robert Garrigus, confirmed his agreement to play in London, and whilst that caused a minor ripple, speculation then ramped up who has also agreed to play alongside Mickelson in June and beyond. Names such as Louis Oosthuizen, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Paul Casey have been banded about with suspicious regularity and with the opener just six weeks away, the rumour mill can only get more frenetic.

As for Mickelson, the year doesn’t seem to get any less cloudy and reporters continue to watch every move, with the veteran spotted on the course this week ahead of his expected comeback.

Rumors of Phil Mickelson’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. He had plenty of speed yesterday at Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club. pic.twitter.com/N3NhqwEA6v

— Fire Pit Collective (@firepitstories) April 28, 2022

It seems as if there is a fair way to go yet before any conclusion to this story.

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.”