America’s Ryder Cup players look set to be paid for the first time in a break from a near 100-year tradition with Team USA in line to receive almost £4 million collectively for next year’s showdown in New York.
The organising body of the American team has drawn up proposals that would see its golfers paid directly for the first time in the match’s 97-year history. It is understood that a figure of $400,000 [£315,000] for each Team USA representative has been put forward and is likely to be ratified at board level.
There are no plans for European players to be paid to appear.
The ultimate decision will probably have to wait until a new PGA of America chief executive is appointed, yet after the issue boiled over at Marco Simone 12 months ago it must be thought that the status quo will not persist.
Certainly, the Stars and Stripes officials will not want any repeat of the unseemly scenes that saw Patrick Cantlay accused of not wearing a “USA” cap in protest at the lack of financial rewards – a mini-mutiny that Cantlay vehemently denied waging – and the European galleries responding to the story by waving their own hats and ridiculing the inscrutable Californian.
The situation turned ugly on the Saturday evening when, in the wake of the taunts, Rory McIlroy and Cantlay’s caddie, Joe LaCava, entered a row that eventually spilt into the car park. In the aftermath of the heavy US defeat, Stefan Schauffele, the father of world No 2 Xander, who is Cantlay’s playing partner and close friend, urged the authorities “to have the players share in that profit instead of being so damned intransparent about it”. It appears the PGA of America has moved to act on those demands.
In contrast, there are no immediate plans for Europe to provide any sort of financial compensation to its golfers, with the members of Luke Donald’s team adamant that they represent their continent for “passion” alone. This particular group of multi-millionaires recognises that the DP World Tour counts on the proceeds from the biennial behemoth to survive, although the circuit does contribute a seven-figure sum to the Ryder Cup European Development Trust to support golf development in European nations.
“They can do whatever they want,” one Europe player told Telegraph Sport. “But we don’t want payments in our bank accounts, as it’ll be the thin end of the wedge and is not what the Ryder Cup is about. Let’s face it, a lot of the American players have been angling towards this for years, if not decades. If it does go ahead, then it will be interesting to see how the fans react at Bethpage, although they’ll probably announce it as just an extension of what already happens.”
Since 1999 and the match in Brookline where the likes of Tiger Woods Mark O’Meara and David Duval voiced their objections to the association that represents more than 30,000 club pros raking in hundreds of millions without compensating those who actually play the shots, the PGA of America has donated $200,000 per player, with $100,000 going to junior golf schemes and foundations and the other $100,000 to charities of each participant’s choice.
But this time around, it seems that unless there is a U-Turn, the increased handouts will go straight to the individuals on Keegan Bradley’s home team. Of course, sound PR dictates that the players would pledge to divert the funds to good causes, but the crucial difference is that it would be solely up to them and their accountants and that all these years later, Woods would finally be getting his wish.
“I would like to see us receive whatever the amount is – 200, 300, 400, 500,000 dollars, whatever it is – and I think we should be able to keep the money and do whatever we see fit,” Woods said at the backend of the last century. “Personally, I would donate all of it to charity. But I think it’s up to the other person’s discretion what they would do with it. With all the money that’s being made, I think that we should have a say in where it goes.”
At the time, future captain Tom Lehman did not agree to the dissension, with whispers of a boycott even being suggested. “The last thing the tour needs is a label put on us as greedy, wimpy, whiny brats,” he said.
In the phoney war that is the Ryder Cup build-up, such reputational slurs would be a godsend for Donald as he looks to guide his men to a first away victory in 13 years. But the Englishman spoke for many last year when outlining what he views as the principles at stake.
“It’s one week where you play for more than yourself, not about money or points, it’s about coming together as a team and the fans feed off that — it’s all passion,” he said. “I don’t think we should ever get paid.”
The PGA of America has declined to comment.
Meanwhile, at the Jumeirah Golf Estates, prospective members of the Europe team were measured for their Bethpage uniforms. One of these was McIlroy, who holds a commanding advantage in the Race to Dubai going into the DP World Tour Championship, the last event of the season that starts on Thursday.
Thriston Lawrence is the only player in the 50-man field who can deny McIlroy a sixth order of merit a title. Yet only does the South African need to win on the Earth Course, but for McIlroy to finish outside the top 11.
