Former European captain Paul McGinley says the prospect of USA players being paid to play in the Ryder Cup is “wrong, on a number of levels”.
Ever since the Telegraph report that Team USA would get $400,000 a man next year at Bethpage Black, the debate has raged about whether players should get paid for taking part in the Ryder Cup.
Three-time Ryder Cupper Hunter Mahan told Golf Monthly why he thinks that players should be getting paid for their efforts, but not everyone agrees on the opposite side of the Atlantic.
Our Golf Monthly team have given their opinions on the subject, while Sir Nick Faldo and Rory McIlroy have also weighed in on the debate.
McIlroy said he’d heard about the plan to pay USA players, but said he would personally pay for the privilege of teeing it up in the Ryder Cup – with Europe’s team not interested in receiving financial rewards.
And that sentiment is echoed by Ryder Cup winner and victorious European captain McGinley, who gave his opinion while on Sky Sports duty at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
“I think it’s wrong,” McGinley said on Sky Sports. “I think it’s wrong on a lot of levels because it’s not like the money was going out of the game.
“It was coming back in to help the young Patrick Cantlays and help young Rory McIlroys to come through and it’s a shame that’s going to be diluted a bit by not having as much money going back into the game.”
Patrick Cantlay gestures at his non-existent cap during the 2023 Ryder Cup
(Image credit: Getty Images)
McGinley expanded by explaining how the European Tour and PGA of America usually distribute Ryder Cup profits back into the grassroots of the game – so does not believe those funds should be diverted to golfers who are already millionaires and at the top of the sport.
“I personally don’t like it,” he added. “If you look at the bodies who own the Ryder Cup…The money that’s made from the Ryder Cup goes back into grassroots and helps the next Tyrrell Hattons and Rory McIlroys come through as well as introducing new players to the game.
“It’s not like some big corporate entity is taking all this money and running away with it. I think it’s a shame that this money is going back into grassroots level and now the players are looking for their piece as well.
“I know they are professional sportsmen but, boy oh boy, are they not getting paid enough money at the moment, with all that’s going on in the game?”
Paul McGinley with the putt that clinched the half point Europe needed in 2002.🇪🇺15.5 – 12.5🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/IDuFexcQu3November 4, 2023
McGinley also wondered how the New York crowd would react to players being paid while fans have to splash out $750 for a match day ticket.
And he added that, as he knows from personal experience, playing in a Ryder Cup can provide a huge financial bonus just from being associated with such a massive global event.
“The players talk a lot about growing the game. Remember they get huge value out of being a Ryder Cup player with brand association – me included,” he added. “The Ryder Cup really has propelled me, in terms of what I’m doing post my career.
“It’s a huge brand that you get associated with if you happen to be a Ryder Cup player, so it’s not as if they’re getting nothing out of it.
“I loved the fact that it wasn’t for money and it used to go into the grassroots level but it looks like the tide is turning on that and like a lot of things in the game at the moment, it’s a real shame.”
