Tiger Woods has made his feelings on the Ryder Cup salary debate clear after Rory McIlroy’s passionate interview in which he said he would ‘pay for the privilege’ to play in the event
Tiger Woods has backed up Rory McIlroy’s thoughts as he made his opinion on Ryder Cup players’ earnings crystal clear.
The golf community found itself divided following Patrick Cantlay’s bold move at the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome, where he chose not to sport the American team cap, which was seen as a silent protest against the lack of financial rewards given to players for their participation in the prestigious competition. Now, there’s buzz around Keegan Bradley’s 2025 squad set to bag a cool $4.8million split from the PGA of America.
This issue has sparked debate amongst golf traditionalists who believe the historic cup should be about honour rather than financial gain. McIlroy, too, shared this sentiment, discussing the topic of the anticipated American payout.
The celebrated five-time Ryder Cup champ stated: “I personally would pay for the privilege to play on the Ryder Cup, The two purest forms of competition in our game right now are the Ryder Cup and the Olympics, and it’s partly because of that, the purity of no money being involved.”
Furthering his point, McIlroy added: “I don’t think any of the 24 players on either team needs that 400 grand. Every two years, there are 104 weeks and 103 weeks you can play golf and get paid.” Woods echoed the sentiments of his fellow PGA Tour colleague, outspokenly sharing his view on the US team members receiving payouts. “I hope they get $5 million each and donate it all to charity,” was Woods’s brazen comment.
“We didn’t want to get paid,” Woods clarified, emphasising their intentions towards charity. “We wanted to give more money to charity. And then the media spun it around and said we wanted to get paid. It’s never really been about getting paid, it’s about allocating funds to help our sport.”
Reflecting on his previous statements from 1999, which he believes were misinterpreted, Woods expressed dissatisfaction with how players were treated at the tournament. “It’s completely unfair, the way it is now,” he remarked. “I played in one and didn’t enjoy it at all. It’s like ‘pros on parade.’ They take us to a bunch of functions that raise money, yet everybody is compensated except us. Let’s take some of that money and spread it around.”
Rory McIlroy doesn’t want to be paid to play in the Ryder Cup ( Image: AP)
The move to pay US players has rankled golf enthusiasts who made their sentiments known to Cantlay last year at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome. European fans sardonically tipped their hats to provoke Cantlay as he aired his grievances.
Amid discussions on the sizeable revenue generated by the 2023 Ryder Cup, Cantlay took issue with the distribution, considering the event’s $11.8m out of a substantial $136.6m turnover. However, McIlroy pointed out that while he gets the financial debate due to the Cup’s lucrative nature, he fears that offering players financial incentives could tarnish the spirit of the competition.
“I think we would all welcome money if it didn’t change the dynamic but the money really would change the dynamic,” McIlroy stated. “That’s why I think everyone is like, let’s not do that.”
