The PGA of America’s board of administrators authorized a plan that may enhance the sum of money given to U.S. Ryder Cup gamers for each charities and what the affiliation referred to as a stipend.
The brand new plan would enhance the quantity given to gamers for charities from $200,000 to $300,000 with one other $200,000 given to gamers as a stipend that doesn’t should be directed towards a charity, though U.S. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley instructed GolfChannel.com he deliberate to donate his full allotment.
“Typically, folks have a look at the PGA as this huge group, however it’s actually 41 sections. All we’re attempting to do is develop the sport,” PGA president Don Rea instructed GolfChannel.com. “The Ryder Cup is a tremendous worldwide competitors, however on the finish of the day, it’s simply one of many methods the PGA helps to develop the sport. We’re simply attempting to do good with the cash now we have.
“The message was to develop the sport and assist charities. The gamers are our members as effectively and we deal with them similar to we do all of our members.”
In accordance with an announcement from the PGA, “no gamers requested to be compensated” to take part within the matches and Rea added that no gamers have been consulted in regards to the change.
Earlier this month on the Hero World Problem, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler acknowledged it was a sophisticated state of affairs.
“So far as I’m involved, I believe all of us on the American aspect are greater than prepared to play within the Ryder Cup free of charge. We’ve been enjoying within the Ryder Cup free of charge for a very long time,” Scheffler mentioned. “In the event that they wish to pay us to play within the event, that’s nice. I imply, so far as how a lot or what it must be, the event appears to make a superb sum of money… I don’t suppose there’s any drawback with guys getting paid to play within the Ryder Cup. I don’t suppose it takes away from the competitors in any respect.”
The PGA’s board finalized the brand new plan Thursday and the brand new cost construction will start at subsequent yr’s matches at Bethpage Black in New York.
The push to pay U.S. Ryder Cup gamers started within the late Nineteen Nineties and led to the unique plan to present every participant $100,000 for charity with one other $100,000 for a golf growth program. Kerry Haigh, the PGA’s interim CEO and chief championships officer, mentioned the affiliation had been discussing participant compensation since final yr’s Ryder Cup in Rome.
The PGA of America’s plan dovetails with the PGA Tour’s coverage of giving gamers on each the U.S. and Worldwide Presidents Cup groups a $250,000 stipend. Haigh mentioned the PGA didn’t seek the advice of with the Tour in regards to the new coverage.
It seems to be a chic resolution to a polarizing subject, however there might be a minimum of one awkward situation with the brand new plan: European gamers should not compensated to play the Ryder Cup.
“That’s at all times been the case (European gamers not being compensated), we’re conscious what they make goes again into the tour to assist the DP World Tour, however we predict that is the very best factor and the best factor to do for our gamers,” Haigh mentioned.
Whereas that has been the case since ’99, Rory McIlroy was fast to grab the excessive floor when reviews of a attainable enhance to the PGA’s Ryder Cup compensation plan surfaced final month.
“I personally would pay for the privilege to play on the Ryder Cup,” McIlroy instructed BBC Sport. “The 2 purest types of competitors in our sport proper now are the Ryder Cup and the Olympics, and it’s partly due to that – the purity of no cash being concerned.”
