19th Hole

Cam Smith heckled over LIV Golf links during first FedEx Cup Playoff event

Published

4 years ago

Aug 15, 2022

Amidst mass speculation that he will soon sign for the LIV Golf series, earlier this week Cameron Smith insisted, “My goal here is to win the FedEx Cup Playoffs. That’s all I’m here for.”

Related: Greg Norman delivers swaggering response to Rory McIlroy after recent PGA Tour wins jibe

That has not stopped the recent Open Championship winner being on the receiving end of continuous questioning by reporters, despite fellow Aussie Cameron Percy backing down on his initial claim that Smith and Marc Leishman were ‘gone.’

After a first round 67 at the first of the FedEx play-off events at Sedgefield, Sky Golf presenter Nick Dougherty asked the 28-year-old if he understood why there was so much reporting on the subject.

Related: The Cam Smith, Scottie Scheffler green ‘incident’ in Memphis isn’t what people think it is

As has been his way, Smith continued to bat away the notion that he was on his way after the Playoffs, but accepted why it was big news for the golf reporters.

“That’s just their job – that’s what they’re there to do. They’re there to sell stories, and I’m sure they’ve had a few looks at it the last few days.”

He recognised what may happen in the immediate future, “You know I’m ready to cop some heat … but like I said I’m here to win the FedEx Cup Playoffs – that’s my number one goal and whatever happens after that will come from me.”

The heat continued on the course during his third round of the FedEx St. Jude, with Memphis News’ Mark Giannotto tweeting the reaction of some of the crowd, with the Aussie on the end of some heckling during the opening Playoff event.

The reality of PGA Tour golf right now. Cam Smith, hitting his tee shot on 14, has a pretty large gallery following him. One man says “Let’s go Cam.” Another calls his mullet “pretty.” A third shouts “$100 million man.” Then yet another yells “sellout” loudest of all.

— Mark Giannotto (@mgiannotto) August 13, 2022

Reaction differed between support and distrust, feelings summed up by one reply that read, “If he goes to LIV, it shows $ are his main motivation rather than titles & standing in the game. As an Aussie, it’s disappointing. But let’s not forget, the PGA tour does nothing for golf in countries like Australia. Some effort to develop a world tour may have helped counter LIV.”

However, according to Australian news site nine.com.au the 28-year-old world number two could turn the episode into one where he becomes a hero from the jaws of villainy.

Talking to Sports Sunday, Nine’s regular roundup of world sports, former Aussie cricket captain Mark Taylor suggested Smith could turn this into a force for good for his homeland’s golf programme.

“There’s no doubt there’s a bit of reputational damage at the moment … but I want to go in and bat for him,” Taylor said.

“It’s a lot tougher for the non-Americans with this LIV Golf. As an Australian golfer or a South African golfer, you’ve got to make the big move to the (United) States to become a PGA Tour regular.”

“That’s what Adam Scott has done, that’s what Greg Norman did many years ago, so it’s tougher for those guys to commit full time to the PGA Tour when there’s another option which is also talking about moving events to Australia.”

“If Cameron Smith moves to LIV, yes, there will be some reputational damage, but I think he can make it work for him.”

Seeing the upside to the ‘investment’ into Australian golf, Taylor suggested the player himself takes advantage.

“LIV are already talking about having three tournaments in Australia and the Australian golf tour is nowhere near what it used to be. This influx of money from LIV will be great for Australian golf. I’d love to see Cameron Smith buy into it.”

“If I was his manager, I’d say, ‘Well if you’re going to sign up for this amount of money, put 10-20 per cent of it into Australian golf and buy in and get Australian golf back to where it used to be.”

“If he does that, it’ll be a win for him and a win for Australian golf. I think eventually LIV, the PGA, they’ll get back together in some form or another and I think it’ll be a win-win for him and Australian golf.”

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.”