The PGA of America’s board of administrators authorized a plan that may improve the amount of cash given to U.S. Ryder Cup gamers for each charities and what the affiliation known as a stipend.
The brand new plan would improve 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 must be directed towards a charity, though U.S. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley advised GolfChannel.com he deliberate to donate his full allotment.
“Generally, individuals have a look at the PGA as this large group, however 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.
“The message was to develop the sport and assist charities. The gamers are our members as nicely and we deal with them similar to we do all of our members.”
In accordance with an announcement from the PGA, “no gamers requested to be compensated” to take part within the matches and Rea added that no gamers have been consulted in regards to the change.
Earlier this month on the Hero World Problem, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler acknowledged it was an advanced state of affairs.
“So far as I’m involved, I feel all of us on the American facet are greater than prepared to play within the Ryder Cup totally free. We’ve been enjoying within the Ryder Cup totally free for a very long time,” Scheffler stated. “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 an excellent 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 yr’s matches at Bethpage Black in New York.
The push to pay U.S. Ryder Cup gamers started within the late Nineties and led to the unique plan to provide 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, stated the affiliation had been discussing participant compensation since final yr’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 stated the PGA didn’t seek the advice of with the Tour in regards to the new coverage.
It seems to be a sublime answer to a polarizing subject, however there shall be at the least one awkward subject with the brand new plan: European gamers will not be compensated to play the Ryder Cup.
“That’s all the time 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 expect that is the perfect factor and the precise factor to do for our gamers,” Haigh stated.
Whereas that has been the case since ’99, Rory McIlroy was fast to grab the excessive floor when studies of a doable improve 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 sport proper now are the Ryder Cup and the Olympics, and it’s partly due to that – the purity of no cash being concerned.”
