19th Hole

GolfWRX members share their first PGA Tour tournament memories

Published

8 years ago

Apr 15, 2018

GolfWRX’s forums are filled with singular enthusiasts for the game. Often, we focus on WRXers vast equipment knowledge and perspectives, but it’s worth remembering that many in the forums have been watching the professional game since moppy hair and flared pants were common sights on the PGA Tour’s fairways.

Thus, it’s interesting to hear what GolfWRX members have to say about their first experiences at PGA Tour events.

Thread-starter Rayley001 told this tale of his first tourney.

“Thinking about this the other day and my dad took me to see the Jackie Gleason Inverrary Classic back in 1974. The winner was Leonard Thompson and the first place check was 52,000 dollars. We went into the main dining room for breakfast and saw Flip Wilson and George Kirby who signed my golf program. We also saw Jackie and Bob Hope play together. Great time for a 14 year old kid. Also saw Ben Crenshaw hit a great drive that seemed to go a long way! Those were the days!”

Bbedell had a close encounter with a large feline

“The Fry’s at Corde Valle in San Martin CA. First time was the only year that Tiger played the tourney. Got a fist bump from him as he walked onto the first tee. So weird…he walks down the walkway with his head down, not acknowledging anyone. I yell “let’s go Eldrick!” and he looks up and makes eye contact, so I instinctively hold my fist out and BOOM. Everyone (including my wife who is in love with Tiger) looks at me like I just shook hands with Jesus.”

Handfull says

“1997 western open at cog hill. The crowds following Tiger were insane. Saw him hit an iron approach that was 230+ yards to a severely protected green and remember thinking I could never pull off that shot no matter how many tries I got. Also remember how terrible slow play was even back then.”

Drewtaylor21 says

“The first professional tournament I walked was the Tri Cities Open on the Nike Tour, back in 1994 I believe. One of my cousins, John Connelly, was playing the Tour back then and the event was just over an hour from my hometown of Yakima, WA, so we drove over to watch him play. I had only hit a few balls around a park and played a tiny par 3 course at the time, but was just starting to get interested in golf and it was pretty cool to see a relative playing at a high level, even though I had no idea what was going on! He shot 66 that day and made it look very easy. I remember meeting him after the round at the range and he let me hit a few balls with his 7 iron. I remember it feeling like the heaviest club I’d ever picked up (probably x100’s hard stepped lol), but I got a few airborn and that was a success at the time! One cool note was that 7 years later I would get to play the same (private) course as a part of our high school district tournament. I got into a 4-for-1 playoff for the last spot to State. I birdied the first playoff hole, then went par-bogey to be 1st alternate. Never got in, but traveled with my teammate who qualified and eventually watched Ryan Moore go on to win.”

Vaca22 says

“Mine was the 1994 Canon GHO, now currently known as the Travelers Championship. At that time I believe it was the most attended tournament on the PGA tour for many years, now only surpassed by the WM Phoenix Open.

Some neat things I remember:

Nice Price arguing with Squeaky Medlin over a 2 yard difference of opinion into a par 4
A group of fans following Greg Norman with shark fin hats
Harbor Bars, a vanilla-filled chocolate chip ice cream sandwich dipped in chocolate.
The champion, David Frost, won a cool $216,000 check as top prize.”

This is a truly excellent thread that you’ll want to check out. Some special, special memories and unique reflections.

Read what GolfWRX members have to say and share your recollections of your first tournament experience.

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.”