19th Hole
Edoardo Molinari on why the European Ryder Cup side has been more successful than the U.S. on the road
Winning a Ryder Cup on the road is one of the most difficult tasks in all of professional sports. The last time it happened was in 2012 at Medinah which was famously dubbed “The Miracle at Medinah” because the European team had to make an amazing comeback to win.
Overall, since 1979, Europe has won four times away on foreign soil (1987, 1995, 2004 and 2012), and the United States has won twice away on foreign soil (in 1981 and 1993).
While speaking with GolfWRX, Edoardo Molinari, who was a vice captain for the European team in Rome last fall, explained why he believes the Europeans have been better on the road than the United States teams.
“Good question. I think it’s a combination of different reasons. I think one, we are more used to travel a lot, like as a European tour player, you go to South Africa, you go to Australia, you go to China, like half of our season is away from Europe, and even when it’s in Europe it’s like a different country. So, you’re not playing in your home country the whole time.”
“So, when it comes to going to the U.S., it’s actually better than a lot of other countries that, that you go to and it’s not a hurdle in itself that we need to overcome.”
“And then I think the other part is like… it’s been talked about a lot but the team chemistry, how much everyone really likes each other and try to help each other. I mean, it’s amazing like some of the stories from the Ryder Cup week you always hear of guys like Rory going to Nicolai (Hojgaard) to Bob (MacIntyre).”
“I mean, literally Rory treating Nicolai and Bob who [he must have seen] four or five times in his life before Ryder Cup week, and all of a sudden in the practice trip that we went to two weeks before he was [treating] Nicolai like his younger brother and Bob like his best friend.
“It really makes you think about how much Rory and John and, and those guys, they really care about Ryder Cup, they really try to, you know, try to help the younger guys and all of a sudden that elevates the whole team. I think especially when you go away, that’s massive.
“That’s, that’s very, very important because all of a sudden you might be a rookie playing in front of an away crowd. Your first Ryder Cup, it’s a very uncomfortable situation. But if you have someone like Rory or Jon saying, ‘I’ve been here before, this is going to be fine, you’re good enough’ and, and they actually behave during the week and during the weeks before in a way to make you feel part of a family. All of a sudden, I think it’s it really uplifts all the younger kids and if you play as a team, with everyone together, you can achieve some amazing things.”
Luke Donald announced in January that Molinari would once again be one of his Vice captains as the European team heads to a hostile New York environment at Bethpage Black in 2025.
Check out the full conversation with Molinari below.
More from the 19th Hole
19th Hole
How much each player won at the 2026 Masters
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
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
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.”

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