US Ryder Cup players tip their hats to Patrick Cantlay during the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone.
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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.
