US Ryder Cup team ‘set to break 100-year tradition and make landmark call’ after ugly spat with European stars
Golfers on the US Ryder Cup team are closing in on a deal to be paid $400,000 each in the biennial match against Europe.
There has been a concerted move from the American stars to break with the tradition of playing for free, with that unrest believed to be at the heart of Patrick Cantlay’s refusal to wear a Team USA hat at Rome last year.
According to the Telegraph, the proposal is expected to be ratified in time for the showdown in New York in 2025, though there are no plans for their European counterparts to follow suit.
The PGA of America, who oversee the US team, declined to comment when contacted by Mail Sport, but it is understood any decision will have to wait until a new chief executive is in place at the body, with Seth Waugh yet to be replaced after leaving the post in June.
The issue has proved thorny for decades, with Tiger Woods and David Duval previously vocal in calling for the right to share in the event’s profits.
Patrick Cantlay came under fire during last year’s Ryder Cup for not wearing a Team USA hat
Rory McIlroy got into a parking-lot dust-up with Cantlay’s caddie during last year’s event
Cantlay’s stance in Rome was widely interpreted as a resurrection of that dispute, with the calls then echoed by Stefan Schauffele, the father of his team-mate and two-time major champion Xander.
Under the current US system, the PGA of America hands out $200,000 per player, with half allocated to charities of each golfer’s choice and the other half going to golf programs.
Woods has previously suggested he would turn his slice of the cake over the charity but advocated the view that they should be paid directly and the choice should be with the individual.
The only players that have been confirmed to be playing at next year’s Ryder Cup are the captains – American Keegan Bradley and Englishman Luke Donald.
Members of Donald’s team told The Telegraph that the Europeans will represent their continent for ‘passion’ alone.
Funding for the European team, should it ever come into favor, would likely not come from the PGA but the DP World Tour instead.
The home team has won the last five Ryder Cups, dating back to Europe’s victory at the 2014 edition.
Should America fail to continue that trend next September, Team USA’s motives in participating will heavily come into question.
