19th Hole

Is Rory McIlroy right about drunken fan behavior? GolfWRX members debate

Published

8 years ago

Mar 19, 2018

Rory McIlroy’s brilliant Sunday performance at the Arnold Palmer Invitational is rightfully in the headlines, but his remarks after his Saturday round continue to spur debate.

McIlroy, it seems, was repeatedly heckled by a likely overserved gentleman. He told ESPN

“There was one guy out there who kept yelling my wife’s name. I was going to go over and have a chat with him. I don’t know, I think it’s gotten a little much, to be honest. I think that they need to limit alcohol sales on the course, or they need to do something because every week, it seems like guys are complaining about it more and more.”

McIlroy is right about “guys complaining more and more.” We’ve already heard from the Ulsterman and Justin Thomas on the issue of fan behavior this year. But is he right to suggest limiting alcohol? Is this more an issue of drunk idiots or idiots generally?

GolfWRX members discussed McIlroy’s remarks in a forum thread salmon1a started.

Christosterone positions golf in the pantheon of sport and says there’s no place for heckling

“What kind of a loser follows Rory around yelling his wife’s name?? One can imagine he was not simply yelling her name…but was saying something crass about her…Either we tolerate the behavior or we don’t…heckling is different from interrupting a stroke…And we all know heckling when we see it..The question is whether or not we allow it…Golf is a concentration sport on par with gymnastics [as related to focus]. Imagine if some idiot was heckling Simone Biles between events…they would be tossed”

Titleist670 on where to draw the line and the fact that heckling is bad for other fans too

“A little good natured ribbing is one thing, but when you start following players around and yelling personal insults I’m fine with getting these people off the course.”

“The other issue is some of the obnoxious folks ruin it for other fans. I’m sure there are kids after the rounds who would like autographs or to see their favorite players, but after 18 holes of dealing with drunks yelling mashed potatoes after every shot, there are guys who probably just want to get the F out of there.”

JaNelson38 puts some of the blame on volunteer marshals

“This is the #1 drawback to having volunteers act as marshals and crowd control…I personally think each venue should provide security each week to help alleviate this problem, even if it costs some purse money.”

Dave230 says the context doesn’t make it appropriate

“You shouldn’t have to listen to somebody pester you shouting your wife’s name all day around the course in any walk of life. It wouldn’t be accepted at anyone’s work. It would lead to a fight at a bar. So why should a professional sportsperson have to suck it up?”

MrWolf thinks something is brewing

“McIlroy is spot on, just like Justin Thomas. Players are clearly unhappy and I doubt it’s just those two…It’ll be interesting to see if this issue comes to a head between the players and the tour. It might be that player power is the only way to force the tour to actually do something about the plethora of d***heads that seem to attend tournaments these days.”

What do you think, GolfWRX members? Page through the 100 replies regarding this ongoing discussion that doesn’t look to be going anywhere anytime soon and offer your take. And if PGA Tour officials are considering action, they’d do well to do the same for a thorough treatment of the issue.

Check out the thread.

19th Hole

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.”