A few weeks ago, the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph reported that the PGA of America was working on a plan to pay each US golfer a large sum of money to play in the Ryder Cup – the biggest showcase in golf – a measure that would come into effect as soon as the Bethpage Black edition in 2025. This reopened an important debate in the world of golf and the fact is that the Anglo-Saxon newspaper was right, although not in the final amounts known today.
Ryder Cup, news
Currently, the PGA of the United States gives each player $200,000 that they are obliged to donate to one or more charities of their choice. This measure arose after the 1999 Ryder Cup. Before the tournament, the American team negotiated this agreement and there was talk of a boycott by its players. It was all about profit sharing, and it transpired 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 – as reported by Golf Digest – opted for a profit to go to charity. Captain Ben Crenshaw mediated between his group to reach an understanding.
At the last edition of the biennial tournament, in Rome last year, Patrick Cantalay did not wear a cap and there was speculation that it 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 has returned to the fore, with greater intensity in recent weeks.
The result is that a new plan was announced today that increases the amount each player is given to donate from $200,000 to $300,000, and most strikingly, adds another $200,000, which is a fee to play in the tournament and does not have to go to charity. US captain for the upcoming Ryder Cup, Keegan Bradley, has told GolfChannel.com that he plans to donate his entire allocation. ADVERTISING
PGA President Don Rea told the same outlet: “The message is that we want to grow this sport and help charities. Players are also our members and we treat them the same as all our members.” According to an official PGA statement, “no player has asked to be compensated” in exchange for participating in the Ryder Cup 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 dollars for its players. If anything is clear, it is that those responsible for this organization They are trying to avoid problems with those members who have indeed 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 “nobody” has asked for it. A few days ago, Scheffler commented: “I think that all of us on the American team are more than willing to play the Ryder Cup for free.” It is not at all unfair to charge, but perhaps the world number one was too generous in including all of his teammates.
A few days ago it was learned that a dozen former US captains had decided to send a letter to the PGA of the United States, as reported by Sport Illustrated, in which they urged not to pay for the dispute of this tournament to the members of the American team, leaving the door open to greater payments that could be dedicated to donations.
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