Sean Zak
Getty Images
The article below is a lightly edited transcript of the video commentary regarding Tiger Woods’ comments on Tuesday about American players being paid extra to play in the Ryder Cup. You can find the video embedded below.
Tiger Woods gave one press conference on Tuesday for the first time in four months, and the talking points were predictable. His health. His schedule. Negotiations with the Saudi PIF. But A the subject seemed to catch him by surprise:
Ryder Cup money.
“Tiger, what are your thoughts on the possibility of American players getting paid to play in the Ryder Cup,” he was asked.
He dodges. He blames the media, which he rarely does. He walks in a disorganized manner. And finally, he ends with not one, but two rhetorical questions.
Tiger knows that the Ryder Cup already gives $200,000 to each player to give to a charity. What he wants is much more. A million dollars, he said at first. Five million dollars, he said later, for multiple charity.
“I think it’s great,” Woods said.
The idea is not new, but it is tidingsby means of or Telegraph report that the US Ryder Cuppers said will earn a salary of $400,000 in 2025, and they will not HAVE to give it to charity. (The PGA of America declined to comment on the report.) While Woods raised some interesting points, the issue — in this age of athletes who want more money and control — is about messaging. And what a Tiger MUST have said that the message from American players may be different from the message sent by European players because they are not playing for the same things.
Sixty percent of the European portion of the Ryder Cup is owned by the European Tour, the same tournament that makes a profit only when Europe hosts a Ryder Cup. So Rory and Rahm and Shane-O and Tommy-boy – in a big way they’re playing for the tournament fodder they grew up watching and continue to play. The tour that cut some of their first professional checks checks some of these guys ever won. This is an easy brand not only to trust, but also to play.
Team USA is representing their country, yes, but they’re also representing the PGA of America, which uses the Ryder Cup as a massive fundraising to grow the game through their initiatives. Compared to the European Tour and the European Team, the PGA of America simply doesn’t interface with the American Ryder Cuppers nearly as much, which leads to moments like Tiger’s rhetorical questions.
What he concluded in that press conference is, if the PGA of America’s initiatives are what American players are playing for in the Ryder Cup, we’d like to see more transparency about where all of the event’s revenue is going for it. step up the game, and also we would like a little more money to go to charities that we really like?
This is not an unrealistic request, as long as this IS request — but it must come with the right message. Right now, all we have is a report in a British newspaper and a “no comment” from the PGA of America. As for Team Europe, they are on call with their communication! The day after the report, Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, Tommy Fleetwood, Bob MacIntyre – all said a version of It’s not about the money. In fact I will PAY to play in the Ryder Cup.
While this may be an unrealistic bluff that Americans should call on the sly, it has given the Europeans a clear communication advantage. If they win the Ryder Cup in September – that is we won and were not paid. If the Europeans lose – it is DARN, we lost, but at least we didn’t ask for more money.
This message is in Rory McIlroy’s back pocket. He can use it if he wants. But it also messages that the American team can do anything, as long as they get it OWN house in order and clarify publicly exactly what they want from the PGA of America. After all, it probably has to come from someone other than Tiger Woods, because he’s not going to play.