19th Hole

Vincenzi: BMW Championship First Round Leader picks

Published

3 years ago

Aug 15, 2023

The top-50 players who remain in the FedEx Cup playoffs will head to Olympia Fields, Illinois to play the 2023 BMW Championship. Olympia Fields Country Club is a brute of a golf course that will test best players on Tour in all facets of their game.

In the past five editions of the BMW Championship there have been nine first-round leaders or co-leaders. Of the nine, six have started their rounds in the morning, and three have started in the afternoon. However, with only 50 players in the field, tee times shouldn’t be as much of a factor this week and all the players will be playing in similar conditions.

The only other time the BMW Championship was held at Olympia Fields CC, Hideki Matsuyama was the first-round leader after teeing off at 1:09 PM and shooting a 67 (-3). The course is extremely difficult, so targeting players who can limit mistakes will be just as important as targeting players who are prolific birdie-makers.

BMW Championship First-Round Leader Picks

Tony Finau +3500 (Caesars)

First-Round Tee Time: 1:16 p.m. ET

Tony Finau has been struggling of late but appears to have taken a step in the right direction over his last few starts. After finishing 7th at the 3M Open last month, he struck the ball pretty well at TPC Southwind last week. He lost 8.2 strokes putting, which clearly impacted his finishing position, but gained 2.0 strokes on approach.

In 2020, Finau was one of only five players to finish the week under par. Olympia Fields is a course where he should be able to use his elite driving ability to his advantage once again. He’s also finished in the top-10 of the BMW Championship in four of his past six starts at the event.

Cameron Davis +4000 (BetMGM)

First-Round Tee Time: 11:43 a.m. ET

Cameron Davis is extremely hot at the moment and his form should not be taken lightly heading into the BMW Championship. In his past three starts has finished 10th, 7th and 6th. In those three starts, he’s gained 6.6, 7.9 and 5.6 strokes from tee to green. His putter hasn’t been cooperating as much as he’d like, but on a golf course where he doesn’t need to go extremely low to grab the first-round lead, that’s less of a concern.

Over his last five starts, the Aussie has gained an average of 2.3 strokes on the field off the tee. That skill set will be crucial in starting off hot at Olympia Fields.

Justin Rose +4000 (BetMGM)

First-Round Tee Time: 9:59 a.m. ET

Right when it seemed as if Justin Rose’s form was falling off towards the end of the season, the veteran went and shot a course record (61) at TPC Southwind.

The Englishman loves difficult tracks, and Olympia Fields certainly qualifies. As a former U.S. Open champion, Rose is the type of player who thrives when conditions get tough. He’s also been incredibly successful at BMW Championships. He has four top-5 finishes at the event, including a victory in 2011.

With the Ryder Cup right around the corner, Rose looks like his game is getting sharp at just the right time.

19th Hole

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.”