19th Hole

‘First time in my life that I have felt betrayal’ – McIlroy opens up on ex-Ryder Cup teammates moving to LIV

Published

4 years ago

Oct 26, 2022

Matt Vincenzi

Several members of past European Ryder Cup teams have left to join LIV Golf.

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Rory McIlroy, who’s just once again become the number one golfer in the world, has said that he feels “betrayed” by the departure of his former teammates.

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In an interview with the Guardian, the 33-year-old spoke out against the players he used to have a strong bond with.

“It’s a weird thing. I think it is the first time in my life that I have felt betrayal in a way. It’s an unfamiliar feeling to me. You build bonds with these people through Ryder Cups and other things.

Them knowing that what they are about to do is going to jeopardize them from being a part of that ever again?”

Many of the former European Ryder Cup players such as Graeme McDowell, Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter would have had a chance to be future Ryder Cup captains.

Stenson gave up his captaincy this year to join LIV. Garcia has more Ryder Cup victories than any European player in history and was a surefire future captain. McDowell would have been a great candidate for captaincy in Ireland in 2027. Poulter and Westwood would undoubtedly be considered in the future as well due to their Ryder Cup history.

The fact that these European golf stars gave up on future Ryder Cup glory didn’t sit right with McIlroy.

‘There was a great opportunity for GMac (Graeme McDowell) to maybe be the captain at Adare in 2027. Most of Sergio’s legacy is Ryder Cup-based, same with Poulter and Westwood. I would like to think the Ryder Cup means as much to them as it does to me. Maybe it does. But knowing what the consequences could be, I just could never make that decision.”

“OK, it might not be 100% certain but that it could be the outcome? It just isn’t a move I would be willing to make. I thought they felt the same way.”

Back in June, Golf Monthly reported that the relationship between McIllroy had grown “bitter and personal” over Garcia’s decision to join LIV Golf.

The pair were once a legendary Ryder Cup tandem, and McIlroy even served as an usher in Garcia’s wedding.

Garcia isn’t the only European player who no longer has a personal relationship with McIlroy after the LIV fallout.

Last month, Rory said to Sportsmail: “I wouldn’t say I’ve got much of a relationship with them at the minute. But if you’re talking about Ryder Cup, that’s not the future of the Ryder Cup team.”

‘The future of the Ryder Cup is the Højgaards (Danish twins Rasmus and Nicolai), Bobby Mac (Robert MacIntyre), whoever else is coming up. Like they are the future of The Ryder Cup Team. That’s what we should be like thinking about and talking about.”

The upcoming year will undoubtedly bring more uncertainty to the golf landscape, but one thing remains clear: Rory McIlroy is fully committed to the PGA Tour and will continue to be outspoken in his opposition against everything LIV Golf.

How much each player won at the 2026 Masters

Published

2 months 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

2 months 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

2 months 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.”