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MONTREAL — Twenty-four Presidents Cup golfers, all of whom obtain prize cash most each different week, received’t acquire 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 “Steadily 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 world staff competitors between america and an Worldwide staff 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 singular golf occasion in that there isn’t a purse or prize cash. Gamers usually are not paid for his or her participation, however every competitor allocates an equal portion of the funds generated to charities of his selection. Because the 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 international locations 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?
In brief, it depends upon whom you ask. Most lately, the subject surfaced on the final males’s professional golf staff occasion, the Ryder Cup, the place final September ideas have been shared and hats weren’t worn. Although not new, the problem picked up steam on the competitors’s second day, when Sky Sports activities reporter Jamie Weir reported that Patrick Cantlay was desirous 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 website, 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 totally free. 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. facet, and the DP World Tour on the European facet — acquire thousands and thousands from the occasion and distribute the money to their varied occasions and applications, with gamers given charitable donations of $200,000 apiece. (It’s right here the place you must 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 facet and captained one other, believed that was lots, 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 may return to the late ’90s, clearly [Mark] O’Meara, [David] Duval. Do you assume compensation will likely be a part of the story at the very least on the American facet by 2025? And do you assume the Europeans will completely go on the thought of getting paid?”
In response, McGinley mentioned no, the Individuals alone shouldn’t be paid — nor ought to any Ryder Cupper.
“Personally, I hope it will get to a spot the place neither staff is paid as a result of I feel the cash that high skilled golfers earn in the intervening time is large 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 customary these days, you’re arrange for all times anyway, whether or not or not it’s via your pension fund or whether or not or not it’s within the prize cash you’ve earned. I feel for one match each two years it will be nice to present again.
“On the European facet, the DP World Tour wants the income from the Ryder Cup. So it’s serving to all the guys who’re coming via. It’s placing occasions on the Problem Tour. It’s placing on respectable prize funds on the DP World Tour. And that’s actually essential for us. It’s a lifeline for us. And on the American facet, it’s the 28,000 PGA professionals round America and giving cash to them in order that they’ll carry younger girls and boys into the sport and create the long run Patrick Cantlays or future Justin Thomases or no matter. An enormous quantity of funding goes again into it.
“So I feel either side are honorable by way of what they’re making an attempt to do with the revenues that are available. It’s not like some wealthy non-public fairness firm is taking the cash and operating 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 feel for one match each two years, with all the cash that’s within the sport in the intervening time and so crass the sum of money that’s put to the entrance within the conversations round golf, I feel it will be an exquisite narrative for the way forward for the Ryder Cup if it was not about cash and it was in regards to 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 have been on final 12 months’s Ryder Cup staff) meet 12 Worldwide gamers (‘worldwide’ which means gamers outdoors of Europe)? Under 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 feel there’s no place for a participant to speak about prize cash on this form of occasion. That’s for different individuals to determine. Our choice is our choice. We’re right here and we’re blissful to play amongst one another and symbolize our nation.
“It’s such a scorching matter, however I feel it’s fairly brutal to ask any participant that as a result of there’s no proper reply a participant can provide you.”
On Wednesday, three different Individuals — Max Homa, Wyndham Clark and Keegan Bradley — have been additionally requested the query. Homa and Clark performed on final 12 months’s Ryder Cup staff, 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 fascinated by it. … Yeah, I might 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 facet of the coin, I feel now we have 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 totally free can also be effective.
“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 tip of the world both means. I get why there’s — why it will possibly change into a speaking level. I simply don’t assume that it’s an enormous situation both means.”
Mentioned Clark: “That’s a troublesome query. You recognize, right here’s what I’ll say: I do know that representing Crew USA is a tremendous accomplishment, and we’re all very lucky to have the ability to try this.
“With that mentioned, I feel 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 just a few 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 staff. I am going to the Olympics and there’s no cash and I really feel honored to play for Crew USA. Actually, I’m form of staying within the center. I get either side. I’m simply blissful to be right here.”
Mentioned Bradley: “I feel fortunately these choices aren’t as much as me. I feel we might all do it totally free. I feel we’re, we like to symbolize america, what the long run holds. There’s some huge cash to be made in these occasions for everyone, and in the event that they determine 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 facet have 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 staff occasion yearly.
Mentioned Scott: “Nicely, in a roundabout means, we form of all the time have benefitted, whether or not it’s with a charitable donation or one thing. And I feel 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 nicely. You recognize, we do very nicely 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 every week. All of it needs to be a good stability, is what I feel, and I feel we’re at a spot the place that’s effective.”
Mentioned Hughes: “I don’t assume so. It’s onerous 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 in case you mentioned, hey, it’s a must to pay to play on this, I’d like to pay to play on this. However there can be guys, I’m positive, on the opposite facet which have received a number of majors and possibly really feel like they should 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 staff room, enjoying with my teammates, enjoying for Mike, and that was actually why I wished to be right here was to play for Mike, to play in Canada, to have these recollections. That’s price extra to me than something you might pay me.”
Opinions, it’s secure to say, have been various.
Throughout his pre-event press convention on Tuesday, Cantlay wasn’t requested in regards to the topic, although Sunday, his Instagram account posted its affection for this 12 months’s clothes provider, saying: “Thrilled that my mates @bdraddy + @zerorestriction have been chosen because the official clothes associate for this 12 months’s @presidentscup. They knocked it out of the park with these uniforms – let’s go [American flag emoji]!” It must also be famous that Cantlay is one among six gamers on the PGA Tour’s Coverage Board, and as talked about earlier, the Tour runs the Presidents Cup.
U.S. captain Jim Furyk, in the meantime, had this alternate 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 feel quite a lot 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 snug. If my guys are snug in hats, they’ll put on hats. In the event that they’re not snug in hats, it doesn’t matter.
“It doesn’t work out too nicely 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 snug. I feel we might each say that the clothes this 12 months, my guys find it irresistible.”
Mentioned Worldwide captain Mike Weir, seated to Furyk’s proper: “Yeah, identical. The fellows are blissful.”
“Guys are snug this 12 months,” Furyk mentioned, “which is very nice.”