AUGUSTA - After remaining static for three years, the Masters purse got a nice 30% bump in 2022, from $11.5 million to $15 million. Take that Saudi golf league.
For the time being, that’s a record purse for any of golf’s majors. Last year, the Masters ranked third among the big four, with the U.S. Open paying $12.5 million, the PGA Championship $12 million and the British Open $11.5 million.
If Scottie Scheffler maintains the lead he took into this weekend, he stands to collect $2.7 million, close to $700,000 more than Hideki Matsuyama did a year ago. Both second ($1.62 million) and third place ($1.02 million) are good for seven-figure paydays.
Certain historic winners won just a few years too early. When Jack Nicklaus claimed the 1986 Masters at the age of 46, first place paid $144,000. Eleven years later when Tiger Woods announced his presence with authority, he claimed $486,000 and a first green jacket.
In part to combat the threat of the proposed startup rival league backed by Saudi deep pockets, the PGA Tour raised its overall purse for the 2021-22 season from $367 million to an announced $427 million. That’s the same competing league Phil Mickelson promoted while ripping into the PGA Tour’s “obnoxious greed.” The resulting controversy led to three-time Masters champion’s decision to skip this year’s event. Ironically, by stumping for a bigger piece of the pie, he missed out on a chance to play for a greatly increased slice this week.
Wind in your face
Adam Scott was the first player to get an idea of just how the cold and wind would impact the third round of the Masters on Saturday.
Scott started the day at the cutline of 4-over par. By the time he finished, he was 12-over par following a round of 80. He was the first tee time of the day at 10:20 a.m. On Saturday, much cooler temperatures combined with the gusty winds that impacted Friday’s second round.
“It was pretty fresh out there today,” Scott said. “It’s like yesterday but the ball is going a far bit shorter because it’s cold. It’s making the course play as long as it possibly can at the moment. I certainly made it look difficult. The pin spots are not that easy again today.”
Dress for the weather
With weather conditions barely topping 50 degrees and the wind-chill factor knocking off another 5-10 degrees, there were no complaints about the full-length coveralls required by the caddies at Augusta National.
Each player took their own approach to staying warm. All had some form of long-sleeve covering. And no one played with bare arms until much later in the afternoon.
Leader Scott Scheffler had three layers topped by a long-sleeved thermal and had a sleeveless sweater that he tugged on and off, depending on current conditions. Kevin Kisner and Patrick Cantlay both topped off their apparel choice with knit ski caps. Collin Morikawa tried to stay warm by adding a gaiter to his outfit. Tiger Woods sported a sweater and a pair of black rain pants.
The most honest answer following the round in less-than-ideal conditions came from Tommy Fleetwood, who said, “I’m just very happy to be done.”
- Steve Hummer, Stan Awtrey and Chris Vivlamore contributed to this report.
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