19th Hole

GolfWRX members have plenty of ideas about how to improve Augusta National

Published

8 years ago

Apr 2, 2018

From the reversal of the front and back nines in 1935, through the teebox adjustments of 2006, the Augusta National has been in a near-constant state of adjustment and improvement,

As the only course where a major championship is contested every year, and as the most popular/widely viewed and mythologized of the majors, even casual golf fans have an appreciation for the track.

And of course, keener observers have strong opinions about everything from the 1999 lengthening of the second cut to the 2002 and 2004 changes, as well as future adjustments.

In this spirit, forum stalwart cardoustie, has his list of potential improvements ready, should Charman Fred Ridley call.

“#3. Slightly forward tee – or extend current tee – so more guys would go for it. Use either Saturday or Sunday.
#6. Bring back the pond and/or creek that used to front the green, re-shape and shift the front trap to get the H2O closer to the putting surface
#10. Push the massive old greenside bunker closer to the green so short shots run back down the hill into it
#11. Massive pine or trap right middle of 11 green to make bail outs more difficult. Likely trap so the fans on hole #12 grandstands can see the action. Pond used to go more in front of this green
#12. Add 10 yards … sacrilege I know but get the big boys hitting one more iron here
#13. I understand they spent ~ $20mm for land to extend this tee back further. Personally, I don’t like the way the Rae’s Creek tributary ends in the middle of the fairway. That visual could be improved upon and dare I say another bridge perhaps
#14. Bring back the Alister MacKenzie bunkering on the right side of the fairway. Call it restoration work
#16. Find a way to add a tee 15-30 yards back
#17. Perhaps replace Ike’s tree but shift it a little left and farther off the tee”

One_putt_blunder says

“Get rid of the perfectly sculpted bunker edges and bring back the Alister Mackenzie jagged edge style.”

QMany says

“I liked the idea of shortening #7 and even making it driveable par four, even if just for one day.”

ChillyDipper says

“Take away the rough so the course plays as it intends. Move the Sunday pin on 16 to the upper tier. Agree with making #3 driveable again.”

Stu_man says

“Remove 80% of the trees and widen the corridors. Remove the first cut of rough to bring the pine straw back in play. Play it firm and fast as it was intended.”

Knock it close says

‘Widen 7, cut down the trees on the right on 11. Get rid of any rough and cut down a bunch of trees elsewhere. Get more run out of the fws. Make it so when guys hit it offline it keeps going so the angles at ANGC really come into play, this would encourage more aggressive play which would lead to more birdies and bogeys.”

“The Masters is at its peak when it favors the bold, nothing worse than a Masters with a bunch of pars. I want birdies, eagles, and others. That’s why I don’t like 11, with the trees right the approach is so long that everyone just bails short right because they are scared to chase anything on with the mounds.”

These are just a few of the excellent replies from the first page of this thread, which, only four days old, is already three pages long.

Check out the thread, or let us know what you think in the comments.

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.”