US paying Ryder Cup players could pressure Team Europe
European Ryder Cup chiefs face pressure to pay players for the first time after it emerged that the US team are set to receive almost £4m for taking part in next year’s match.
The PGA of America is proposing to pay each of the 12 golfers on the US team at Bethpage Black $400,000 (£315,000) – a total of $4.8m (£3.8m) – according to reports.
If approved, the move would end 97 years of amateurism in the biennial golf contest, which has become a commercial juggernaut as its popularity has mushroomed in the 21st century.
American Patrick Cantlay found himself at the centre of a debate about whether Ryder Cup players should be paid when he chose not to wear a USA cap at the last match in Rome.
Cantlay denied that it was because he felt strongly about the lack of pay, but it revived a topic that has previously been raised by stars such as Tiger Woods.
The PGA of America currently donates $200,000 (£157,000) to charity on behalf of each player in the US Ryder Cup team, partly in response to claims of keeping the profits to themselves.
Those calls were likely to grow louder after pricing for next year’s match in New York, where entry for one day will cost up to $750 (£590), sparked complaints of gouging.
Meanwhile the historic move from some governing bodies to pay their athletes for success at the Paris 2024 Olympics was another blow to the few remaining outposts of amateurism.
Europe’s players have not agitated for payment at the Ryder Cup but it may become difficult politically for Wentworth chiefs if they insist on maintaining the status quo while their opponents receive six-figure sums.
One of Team Europe’s most recognisable golfers, Rory McIlroy, will be putting any chat of Ryder Cup wages to one side as he chases a sixth DP World Tour Order of Merit.
The feat would see him draw level with Seve Ballesteros.
“I am a little too young to remember a lot of Seve’s career and things that he did,” the 35-year-old Northern Irishman said.
“Seve is almost like a, not a mythical character to me, but was just a little bit before my time.
“But he was my dad’s favourite player… so to draw level with him and to have a career that can somewhat stack up against his is very cool.”