Tiger Woods believes the United States Ryder Cup players should be paid £4 million, not £315,000, for representing their country – but insists all the money should go to charity.
Telegraph Sport exclusively revealed last month that the PGA of America – the body that oversees the US arm of the biennial showdown – is set to break with nearly 100 years of tradition by transferring $400,000 (£315,000) directly into the bank accounts of each of the 12 golfers who appear under the Stars and Stripes at next year’s match in New York.
The news created a huge controversy with many disgusted at the apparent greed of the multi-millionaires, which was held up in stark contrast to that of the Europe team. Rory McIlroy announced that he would “pay for the privilege to play in the Ryder Cup” and revealed that Luke Donald’s side had met and collectively decided they would not be seeking the same recompense.
Woods wanted compensation ahead of 1999 contest
However, Woods is adamant that the payment is the right course of action and declared that it should have been put in place decades ago. “We had the same conversation back in ’99,” Woods said in the Bahamas, where he is promoting this week’s Hero World Challenge. “We didn’t want to get paid. We wanted to give more money to charity. And the media turned it around against us, and said we want to get paid. No, the Ryder Cup itself makes so much money, why can’t we allocate it to various charities?
“What’s wrong with each of the 12 players getting a million dollars and giving it out to amazing charities that they’re involved in, that they can help out, whether it’s their home towns where they’re from, all the different junior golf associations or endeavours that the members are involved in… I hope they get $5 million [£4 million] each, and donate it all to different charities. I think that’s great. What’s wrong with that?”
Woods was being slightly disingenuous with his comments regarding the media twisting the words of the dissenters in 1999. His great friend Mark O’Meara left little doubt of where he thought some of the profits should be allocated.
“The players are the ones who make it happen and somehow they could be compensated, maybe with a retirement fund or trust fund for their children,” he said.
And at the time, Woods himself also signified it should be up to the player, himself. “I would like to see us receive whatever the amount is – 200, 300, 400, 500,000 dollars, whatever it is – and I think we should be able to keep the money and do whatever we see fit,” Woods said. “Personally, I would donate all of it to charity. But I think it’s up to the other person’s discretion what they would do with it.”
There was inevitable outrage back then and not everyone in the US camp was impressed, especially with David Duval’s suggestion of a boycott. “The last thing the tour needs is a label put on us as greedy, wimpy, whiny brats,” Tom Lehman, the future captain said.
Since that particular storm erupted, the PGA of America – which represents more than 30,000 club pros – has donated $200,000 (£157,000) per US player, with $100,000 (£78,903) going to junior golf schemes and foundations and the other $100,000 (£78,903) to charities of each participant’s choice.
Yet that is seemingly not enough for the modern players. The debate raised its ugly head again in last year’s match in Rome, where Patrick Cantlay was accused of not wearing a “USA” cap in protest at the lack of financial rewards, and tensions eventually boiled over on the Saturday evening when, in the wake of taunts, McIlroy and Cantlay’s caddie, Joe LaCava, entered a row that spilled into the car park.
A furious Rory McIlroy confronted a Team USA caddie in the car park, after he was spotted waving his cap in McIlroy’s face when lining up his final putt on 18… 😳 pic.twitter.com/N0SaDg7AsS
— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) September 30, 2023
In the aftermath of the heavy US defeat, Stefan Schauffele, the father of world No 2 Xander, who is Cantlay’s playing partner and close friend, urged the authorities “to have the players share in that profit instead of being so damned in-transparent about it”.
The PGA of America is moving to act on those demands and despite the backlash, Woods’s comments mean there will almost certainly be no about-turn. Sir Nick Faldo ridiculed the Americans, saying that for the Europeans “no other motivation is needed except playing for your team-mates and your continent” and the current pros were in broad agreement with McIlroy.
Woods, when asked about the opposition’s claim that they would pay to play, sought to make a distinction between the two teams. “That’s their right to say that,” the 15-time major winner said. “If the Europeans want to pay to be in the Ryder Cup, that’s their decision to do that. That’s their team. I know that when it’s on European soil it subsidises most of their tour, so it is a big event for the European Tour. If they want to pay to play in it, so be it.”
The PGA of America is separate from the PGA Tour, although the latter does receive 20 per cent of the broadcast rights when the match takes place in America.
Woods unsure on comeback date but insists ‘fire still burns to compete’
If Woods sounded certain on this issue, then he was decidedly unsure when it came to his own fitness and on the ongoing negotiations between Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and the PGA Tour. Woods has not played competitively since the Open in July and did not offer a timeline of when he might appear next, following his sixth back operation three months ago. “The fire still burns to compete,” Woods, 48, said. “But the body just won’t recover like it used to.”
He was just as ambiguous about the mooted peace deal and that is a concern because he is closely involved in the discussions with the backers of the LIV Golf breakaway. “I think something will get done, but in what form or shape? I don’t know yet,” Woods said. “I just wish we had something more concrete than we have right now.”
