The Ryder Cup pay debate entered a new phase this week when The Telegraph reported that USA’s players could be in line to receive $400,000 each for representing their country in the event at Bethpage Black next year.
It follows the scenes in Rome last time out where a report emerged that Patrick Cantlay was refusing to wear a cap in protest over not being paid to appear, although Cantlay firmly denied it and maintained that he played without headwear due to not being able to find anything that fit.
The topic of pay in the Ryder Cup is a divisive subject with mixed opinions across the board, but three-time Team USA player Hunter Mahan believes that golfers should be paid to appear in the event under principle due to the money the spectacle generates.
Mahan, who retired from pro golf at the age of 39 to become a high school coach, played in the 2008, 2010 and 2014 editions in a career that included six PGA Tour wins, a career-best world ranking of 4th and over $30m in career earnings.
While he says players should be paid due to a simple goods and services transaction, he doesn’t believe it needs to be millions, and thinks that European players not receiving payment could well be a story that runs right up until the week in New York.
“I do,” Mahan told Golf Monthly on whether players should be paid, before continuing: “It doesn’t need to be lot, I mean, it’s not millions of dollars or anything, but, I think when your goods and services are being used for someone else’s gain, you should be able to sort of recoup some of that money because they’re using you, right? So, that’s sort of a simple short answer to it.
“But there’s a lot that goes into this sort of question and the European Tour is not as fertile as the PGA Tour and the PGA of America. Even though this is a big deal for the PGA of America because it funds those tournaments, their association and what they do.
Mahan made his Ryder Cup debut in USA’s 2008 win at Valhalla
(Image credit: Getty Images)
“Clearly this is something that some players feel is necessary going forward and it’d be interesting to see who drafted this. It feels very broad in its terms but it sounds like the PGA of America is okay with that and I don’t think the dollar amount is of any real significance in terms of both sides for how much money the PGA…
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