19th Hole

Jon Rahm: Golf’s World Ranking system is laughable

Published

3 years ago

Nov 16, 2022

Jason Daniels

Anyone clicking on to “This Week’s Events” on the OWGR webpage this week may be in for surprise.

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In order of points awarded, the RSM Classic, a typical end of season event on the PGA Tour, rewards the winner at Sea Island almost twice the ranking points of the victor at the DP World Championship. This despite Dubai hosting world number one, Rory McIlroy, former number one and current number five Jon Rahm, ninth placed Matt Fitzpatrick, and five further players from the world’s top-30.

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In contrast, after world number 12 Tony Finau pulled out of the event in Georgia, top of the shop is Seamus Power, ranked 30, in-form but with nothing like the pedigree of the three previously named, nor Shane Lowry or Viktor Hovland.

The 50-strong field teeing it up at the Earth Course have earned their places via a season-long ranking table, and Rahm doesn’t find the points system amusing at all.

OWGR now ranks events on overall strength of field, and with a full field against a limited one, the RSM Classic has a rating of over 100 points higher than the championship event, therefore points are distributed as such.

Rahm was not afraid of letting his feelings be known ahead of this week’s event:

“I’m going to be as blunt as I can. I think the OWGR right now is laughable”

“I understand what they are trying to do with the depth of field, but having the best players in the world automatically makes the tournament better,” Rahm added.

“I don’t care what their system says. I think they have made a mistake. I think some aspects of it might be beneficial, but I think they have devalued the value of the better players.

“The 30 best players of the year should not be punished because it’s a smaller field.”

“Depth of field doesn’t mean a better tournament.I could go on and on. I think they have missed the mark on that stance quite a bit.”

The official ranking system has already been called into question on many occasions this year, with many questioning their validity after all LIV events were declared as not qualifying for any ranking points.

This has meant a drop in rankings for the likes of Dustin Johnson and 2022 Open Championship winner Cam Smith, something LIV is very keen to turn round in the future.

Keith Pelley, DP World Tour chief, is already under intense pressure to talk to the LIV ruling committee, and the rebellious talk from one of his own supportive players can’t help matters.

“There is no doubt that Jon Rahm’s conversation and some of the other noticeable changes around OWGR will be a topic at our next board meeting,” he said. “It is prudent to bring it up based on our top players and their comments.”

“The OWGR is a hot topic for many reasons. There were four universities that did a detailed study and all came to the conclusion that the world rankings didn’t necessarily reflect the game of golf. As a result we implemented a new system. And like with any new system you evaluate it and modify it if changes are needed.”

Rahm is adamant that beating better players is the route to increased points:

“Would you rather win a tournament when you have the number one player in the world there or the 30th or 6th there?” asked the 2021 US Open winner.

“I think it’s more valuable if you’re beating best players in the world. I think a lot of people would agree and I think it should reflect that.”

That puts Rahm at odds with another anti-LIV player and Ryder Cup colleague, Rory McIlroy, who gave his support to the new way of points distribution.

“You’ve got a 50-man field here versus a 144-man field there,” said the FedEX Cup winner.

“So just in terms of how the strengths of field is calculated, they have 90 more players to contribute to their strength of field. So the reason that this has got 21 points, and the RSM has got 39 is the person that wins the RSM has to beat 139 other guys.”

“You only have to beat 49 other guys here. It’s a much fairer system.”

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.”