A few weeks ago, the British media The Daily Telegraph reported that the PGA of America was working on a plan to pay each golfer in the United States a large sum of money to play in the Ryder Cup – golf’s biggest showcase -, a measure that It would come into force for the Bethpage Black edition in 2025. This reopened an important debate in the world of golf and the fact is that the Anglo-Saxon media got it right, although not in the final amounts known today.
Currently the PGA of the United States grants each player $200,000, which they are obligated to donate to one or more charities of their choice. This measure arose after the 1999 Ryder. Before the event, the American team negotiated this agreement and there was talk of a boycott by its players. It all had to do with the distribution of profits and it turned out that it was Mark O’Meara who wanted to change the system, but a group that included David Duval, Tiger Woods, Scott Hoch, Lee Janzen and Jack Nicklaus – according to Golf Digest – He gambled on a profit destined for charity. Captain Ben Crenshaw mediated among his people to reach an understanding.
In the last edition of the biennial tournament, in Rome last year, Patrick Cantalay did not wear a cap and there was speculation that this was a form of protest for not receiving payment for playing in the event. He has always denied it, but the fact is that the debate returned to the fore, with more intensity in recent weeks.
The result is that today a new plan has been announced that increases the amount given to each player to make donations – from 200,000 to 300,000 dollars – and the most striking thing is that another 200,000 dollars are added, which are a payment for playing the tournament and that they do not have to dedicate themselves to charity. The US captain for the next Ryder, Keegan Bradley, has told GolfChannel.com that he plans to donate his entire allowance.
The president of the PGA, Don Rea, has stated to the same medium: “The message is that we want to grow this sport and help charities. The players are also our members and we treat them the same as all of our members.” According to An official statement from the PGA, “no player has asked to be compensated” in exchange for participating in the Ryder and Rea added that they have not been consulted about this decision.
Consequently, the ‘altruistic’ gesture of the PGA of the United States ends 97 years of tradition by implementing a stipend of $200,000 for its players. If anything is clear, it is that those responsible for this organization seek to avoid problems with those members who have expressed their discontent about playing for free, even if they do not do so publicly, because it is an empirical fact that no large organization gives away such sums when “no one” does. has asked. A few days ago, Scheffler commented: “I think all of us on the American team are more than willing to play the Ryder Cup for free.” It is by no means unfair to charge, but perhaps the world number one was very generous including all his teammates.
