Rory McIlroy has confessed he would willingly pay to participate in the Ryder Cup, following revelations that US team members could each earn $400,000 for facing Europe in New York next year. McIlroy feels this move could compromise the 'purity' of the biennial event. Under pressure from top players, the PGA of America's board is contemplating a departure from Ryder Cup tradition by paying the 12-man American team from a $5m fund. No such proposal is being considered in Europe; a stance McIlroy, Europe's top player, fully supports.
'I would personally pay for the privilege to play in the Ryder Cup,' McIlroy stated. 'I've come a long way, especially with the Olympics, but the two purest forms of competition in our sport are the Ryder Cup and Olympics partly due to the absence of money. It was a topic of discussion at the last Ryder Cup in Rome. I understand the other side of the argument because the Ryder Cup generates significant revenue, one of the top five biggest sporting events in the world, so I get the argument that the talent should be compensated.
The Ryder Cup means so much more, especially to Europeans and this tour. We've discussed it with Luke [Donald, the European captain] because we obviously heard [about the Americans], and the general consensus is that the $5m paid to the team would be better utilized on the DP World Tour to support other events and even the Challenge Tour. For us, it would alter the feel, and what we've done well is being a very cohesive group over the last decade, and we wouldn't want anything to change that.'
While acknowledging the concept, McIlroy questioned the necessity of paying Team USA members. He added, 'I don't think any of the 24 players on either team needs the $400,000. Every two years we play, there are 104 weeks, and for 103 you can play golf and get paid, which is reasonable enough.
Regarding the purity aspect, it would make the competition seem a little less pure, but it wouldn't change anything from a European perspective. We would all welcome the money if it didn't change the dynamic of what we had, but I think it would change the dynamic.' The Ryder Cup, set to take place at Bethpage next September, has already faced intense criticism for $750 per day tickets during the competition. McIlroy admits that the conversation will take on another dimension with players benefiting from steep prices.
'It makes us look very unrelatable to the average person on the street because of how much money is being pumped into the game,' said the four-time major winner. 'But at the same time, that's not our fault in a way. There are people willing to pay what they are willing to pay, and we are fortunate to be in the position, we've been in the right place at the right time.
There are two sides to the coin. I'm not criticizing at all because if the Ryder Cup generates $100-200m in revenue, you would think the talent should have a piece of that. That's not the way it has been, and as Europeans, we don't want to change because of how good it has been the last few years, but it's more than reasonable that if you put an event on and it creates so much revenue, some of it should flow back to the talent, but it hasn't been that way in the Ryder Cup, and it's a massive change.'
McIlroy was speaking in Dubai, where he shot a 67 to tie the lead with Tyrrell Hatton after the first round of the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.
Source link: https://www.theguardian.com
