From left, Sam Burns, Patrick Cantlay, Tony Finau and Xander Schauffele on Sunday at Royal Montreal.
Getty Photos
MONTREAL — Twenty-four Presidents Cup golfers, all of whom obtain prize cash most each different week, received’t gather a cent this week upon conclusion of play at Royal Montreal. It says so proper there on the web site of the occasion’s backer, the PGA Tour, underneath “Regularly Requested Questions,” the place the primary one merely asks: “What’s the Presidents Cup?”
Right here’s that reply:
“The Presidents Cup is a biennial international group competitors between the USA and an Worldwide group that represents the remainder of the world excluding Europe. The competitors alternates between venues within the U.S. and abroad. The Presidents Cup is a novel golf occasion in that there isn’t any purse or prize cash. Gamers aren’t paid for his or her participation, however every competitor allocates an equal portion of the funds generated to charities of his selection. For the reason that inception of the Presidents Cup in 1994, greater than $56.4 million has been generated from occasion proceeds. Over the previous 25 years, the Presidents Cup has impacted greater than 475 charities in 18 nations worldwide. Cognizant and Rolex are the unique World Companions of the Presidents Cup.”
That reply, although, raises one other query:
Ought to gamers be paid?
Briefly, it is dependent upon whom you ask. Most lately, the subject surfaced on the final males’s professional golf group occasion, the Ryder Cup, the place final September ideas had been shared and hats weren’t worn. Although not new, the difficulty picked up steam on the competitors’s second day, when Sky Sports activities reporter Jamie Weir reported that Patrick Cantlay was eager to receives a commission, that he was refusing to put on a hat in protest and that the U.S. locker room was fractured. From there, issues snowballed. U.S. gamers balked on the report. Followers at Marco Simone, the host web site, mockingly waved their very own caps. A day later, Stefan Schauffele, the daddy of American Xander Schauffele, spoke at size about all of it to GOLF’s Dylan Dethier, saying, “They’ll donate all proceeds after opening the books to a charity of our joint selection, after which we are going to fortunately play without spending a dime. Please print that.”
Within the months since, the dialog has continued. Notably, the governing our bodies of the Ryder Cup — the PGA of America on the U.S. aspect, and the DP World Tour on the European aspect — gather hundreds of thousands from the occasion and distribute the money to their numerous occasions and applications, with gamers given charitable donations of $200,000 apiece. (It’s right here the place you need to learn one other splendidly reported story, by GOLF’s Jessica Marksbury, on Ryder Cup cash.) One notable observer, Paul McGinley, who performed in 4 Ryder Cups for the European aspect and captained one other, believed that was loads, providing greater than a three-minute thought on the topic, on an look final October on the 5 Golf equipment podcast, the place host Gary Williams requested McGinley this:
“The whiff of compensation, it’s not new. You’ll be able to return to the late ’90s, clearly [Mark] O’Meara, [David] Duval. Do you assume compensation might be a part of the story not less than on the American aspect by 2025? And do you assume the Europeans will completely move on the concept of getting paid?”
In response, McGinley mentioned no, the People alone shouldn’t be paid — nor ought to any Ryder Cupper.
“Personally, I hope it will get to a spot the place neither group is paid as a result of I believe the cash that prime skilled golfers earn in the meanwhile is big on so many alternative ranges,” mentioned McGinley, who’s at Royal Montreal this week as a part of Golf Channel’s protection. “They’re all arrange for all times, it doesn’t matter what. When you make a Ryder Cup commonplace these days, you’re arrange for all times anyway, whether or not it’s by means of your pension fund or whether or not it’s within the prize cash you’ve earned. I believe for one match each two years it will be nice to offer again.
“On the European aspect, the DP World Tour wants the income from the Ryder Cup. So it’s serving to the entire guys who’re coming by means of. It’s placing occasions on the Problem Tour. It’s placing on respectable prize funds on the DP World Tour. And that’s actually necessary for us. It’s a lifeline for us. And on the American aspect, it’s the 28,000 PGA execs round America and giving cash to them in order that they will carry younger girls and boys into the sport and create the longer term Patrick Cantlays or future Justin Thomases or no matter. An enormous quantity of funding goes again into it.
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“So I believe either side are honorable when it comes to what they’re making an attempt to do with the revenues that are available. It’s not like some wealthy personal fairness firm is taking the cash and working off into the sundown and giving it to shareholders. That is cash that’s going again on either side again into the sport. It’s going again into the ecosystem on either side that has churned out these gamers within the first place. So I believe for one match each two years, with all the cash that’s within the recreation in the meanwhile and so crass the sum of money that’s put to the entrance within the conversations round golf, I believe it will be an exquisite narrative for the way forward for the Ryder Cup if it was not about cash and it was concerning the 24 gamers being consultant, serving to each ecosystems that made them who they’re.”
So the place do issues stand this 12 months on the Presidents Cup, the place 12 American gamers (eight of whom had been on final 12 months’s Ryder Cup group) meet 12 Worldwide gamers (‘worldwide’ that means gamers outdoors of Europe)? Beneath is a small sampling of ideas, beginning with Schauffele, who was requested whether or not gamers ought to get prize cash within the Presidents and Ryder Cups, why or why not:
“That query is a little bit of a grenade, to be sincere,” he mentioned. “I believe there’s no place for a participant to speak about prize cash on this form of occasion. That’s for different folks to resolve. Our choice is our choice. We’re right here and we’re joyful to play amongst one another and symbolize our nation.
“It’s such a scorching matter, however I believe it’s fairly brutal to ask any participant that as a result of there’s no proper reply a participant may give you.”
On Wednesday, three different People — Max Homa, Wyndham Clark and Keegan Bradley — had been additionally requested the query. Homa and Clark performed on final 12 months’s Ryder Cup group, whereas Bradley is the captain of subsequent 12 months’s Ryder Cup squad.
Mentioned Homa: “I don’t know. I haven’t actually spent a lot time interested by it. … Yeah, I may play satan’s advocate to each. One, like these occasions make a ton of cash and we’re on TV enjoying the golf. However on the opposite aspect of the coin, I believe we have now been given a lot as skilled golfers and to get to do that is about as enjoyable as you’ll ever have. So to do it without spending a dime can also be wonderful.
“I get everybody’s standpoint. I don’t assume it ought to ever actually be a hot-button matter. I don’t assume it’s the top of the world both means. I get why there’s — why it could actually grow to be a speaking level. I simply don’t assume that it’s a large problem both means.”
Mentioned Clark: “That’s a tricky query. You recognize, right here’s what I’ll say: I do know that representing Workforce USA is an incredible accomplishment, and we’re all very lucky to have the ability to do this.
“With that mentioned, I believe there’s some huge cash that’s being made at these occasions. You recognize, there’s arguments each methods. All I’ll say is that if Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup goes and makes a couple of 100 million and we’re not getting something from it, it appears a bit of unfair. However on the identical time, I simply really feel blessed to be on this group. I’m going to the Olympics and there’s no cash and I really feel honored to play for Workforce USA. Truthfully, I’m type of staying within the center. I get either side. I’m simply joyful to be right here.”
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Mentioned Bradley: “I believe fortunately these selections aren’t as much as me. I believe we might all do it without spending a dime. I believe we’re, we like to symbolize the USA, what the longer term holds. There’s some huge cash to be made in these occasions for everyone, and in the event that they resolve that’s one of the best ways to do that, then that’s nice.
“These guys don’t — we need to go on the market and play and win this factor. Whether or not it was for some huge cash or no cash, we might present up.”
Requested the query on the Worldwide aspect had been Adam Scott, who this week is making his eleventh Presidents Cup look; and Mackenzie Hughes, who’s making his first. To notice, Worldwide gamers play biennially, whereas the U.S. performs a group occasion yearly.
Mentioned Scott: “Effectively, in a roundabout means, we type of all the time have benefitted, whether or not it’s with a charitable donation or one thing. And I believe whether or not it’s prize cash or a charitable donation, that’s a large enough gesture for the gamers.
“We’re skilled golfers. However there’s a stability, as properly. You recognize, we do very properly on the PGA Tour with prize cash. You recognize, there’s components of giving again, whether or not it’s truly giving again charitable {dollars} or giving again by exhibiting up and never competing for prize cash for per week. All of it ought to be a good stability, is what I believe, and I believe we’re at a spot the place that’s wonderful.”
Mentioned Hughes: “I don’t assume so. It’s arduous from my perspective as a result of once more, I’d personally do it as a result of I really like these competitions. I really like the sport. So when you mentioned, hey, you need to pay to play on this, I’d like to pay to play on this. However there could be guys, I’m certain, on the opposite aspect which have received a number of majors and possibly really feel like they need to be paid to be right here. I by no means really feel that means. I really feel prefer it’s an honor that doesn’t want to come back with any financial worth.
“All my recollections from this week are going to be the group room, enjoying with my teammates, enjoying for Mike, and that was actually why I needed to be right here was to play for Mike, to play in Canada, to have these recollections. That’s value extra to me than something you possibly can pay me.”
Opinions, it’s protected to say, had been numerous.
Throughout his pre-event press convention on Tuesday, Cantlay wasn’t requested concerning the topic, although Sunday, his Instagram account posted its affection for this 12 months’s clothes provider, saying: “Thrilled that my buddies @bdraddy + @zerorestriction had been chosen because the official clothes accomplice for this 12 months’s @presidentscup. They knocked it out of the park with these uniforms – let’s go [American flag emoji]!” It also needs to be famous that Cantlay is one in every of six gamers on the PGA Tour’s Coverage Board, and as talked about earlier, the Tour runs the Presidents Cup.
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U.S. captain Jim Furyk, in the meantime, had this change on Tuesday with the Related Press’ Doug Ferguson, who requested:
“How did you get Cantlay to put on a hat this week?”
Mentioned Furyk, “We lastly had one which had that odd of a form that it will truly match on there.”
He added: I believe lots of it’s our distributors. He wore a hat two years in the past in Charlotte. We had the identical distributors on the PGA Tour, and he appears to be comfy. If my guys are comfy in hats, they will put on hats. In the event that they’re not comfy in hats, it doesn’t matter.
“It doesn’t work out too properly for me, I’ll simply say. [Here, he partially lifted his hat to show his absence of hair.] My head will flip purple after a day, however I would like them comfy. I believe we might each say that the clothes this 12 months, my guys like it.”
Mentioned Worldwide captain Mike Weir, seated to Furyk’s proper: “Yeah, identical. The blokes are joyful.”
“Guys are comfy this 12 months,” Furyk mentioned, “which is very nice.”
