The PGA of America’s board of administrators authorized a plan that may enhance the amount of cash 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 advised GolfChannel.com he deliberate to donate his full allotment.
“Typically, individuals have a look at the PGA as this massive group, nevertheless it’s actually 41 sections. All we’re making an attempt to do is develop the sport,” PGA president Don Rea advised 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 making an attempt to do good with the cash we’ve got.
“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 keeping with a press release from the PGA, “no gamers requested to be compensated” to take part within the matches and Rea added that no gamers have been consulted concerning 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 keen to play within the Ryder Cup without cost. We’ve been enjoying within the Ryder Cup without cost for a very long time,” Scheffler mentioned. “In the event that they need to pay us to play within the event, that’s nice. I imply, so far as how a lot or what it needs to be, the event appears to make a very good amount of cash… 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 fee construction will start at subsequent 12 months’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 improvement program. Kerry Haigh, the PGA’s interim CEO and chief championships officer, mentioned the affiliation had been discussing participant compensation since final 12 months’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 concerning the new coverage.
It seems to be a chic resolution to a polarizing subject, however there might be no less than one awkward subject with the brand new plan: European gamers aren’t 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 correct 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 stories of a potential 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 advised BBC Sport. “The 2 purest types of competitors in our recreation proper now are the Ryder Cup and the Olympics, and it’s partly due to that – the purity of no cash being concerned.”
