Europe captain Luke Donald has warned that the Bethpage crowd could turn on the U.S. team if they don’t perform up to expectations. The PGA of America will pay each member of the U.S. team $500,000 to play in the Ryder Cup, and Donald believes this could backfire if the results go against them.
New Yorkers Won’t Hesitate To Make Their Feelings Known
The PGA of America —the body that oversees the U.S. arm of the Ryder Cup—confirmed last year that it will remunerate its players, breaking almost 100 years of tradition in the process. This marks a difference from Team Europe, where players will not receive any form of payment for representing their side. Donald believes this difference could shape how the crowd reacts if the competition becomes close.
The issue of money has raised several questions, with critics arguing that guaranteed payment for U.S. players could make the Ryder Cup lose some of its unique identity. Donald did not go as far as to say it would harm the Ryder Cup, but he made it clear that it places American players under more pressure than before.
The PGA of America will pay players to play at the Ryder Cup for the first time, giving each Team USA member $500,000 for the three-day match. Players must donate $300,000 of that amount to charity, while they can freely spend the remaining $200,000. In addition, Bethpage will charge a whopping $750 for each ticket.
“That could happen,” Donald said when asked if this could incite the home crowd if Team USA is losing. “We all know how high the ticket prices are, and it’s going to be an expensive trip for a family of four. If the U.S. players are getting paid a stipend, or whatever it is, and they aren’t performing, the New Yorkers could let them know about it.”
Team Europe Won’t Consider Getting Paid For Ryder Cup
At the last Ryder Cup in Rome, Donald opposed paying Team Europe, and the players fully backed him. The 47-year-old says he believes that the Ryder Cup means more than just money to the players.
“It speaks to what the Ryder Cup means to these guys,” he said. “A couple of hundred thousand dollars to these guys isn’t a lot of money in the grand scheme of things. I wanted to get ahead of this when I first heard about it last year and looked like it was likely going to happen. As I said, I reached out to all 12 guys in Rome to see how they felt. Their voices are important. Everyone was like, ‘we haven’t even considered playing for money for that event.’”
Team Europe plans to arrive at Bethpage on Monday as they look to defend their title. The team has been in the U.S. and stayed in the same time zone since a two-day visit to the course last Monday and Tuesday. The players have also trained with virtual reality headsets to simulate the noisy and hostile environment expected at Bethpage.