Debate missed 1 simple thing in the Ryder Cup salary controversy
Farmingdale, NY – Even by Long Island standards, the latest figures suggest that real estate costs around this Ryder Cup are also soaring.
The price of four square inches on Patrick Cantlay’s forehead? $300,000.
Of course, there is no way to know if Cantlay’s $300,000 Ryder Cup from 2023 to 2025 is the reason why he chose to arrive at Bethpage this week wearing a USA Team USA embroidered hat. The man himself denied any involvement in igniting the player’s paid conversation, and his infamous decision stood out in Rome two years ago, insisting that his decision was more about fabric than substance.
“On a million times, the hat is not right,” he said on Bethpage Black on Tuesday morning.
Still, Cantlay arrived at Bethpage in a hat and knew his performance in this week’s Cup is now worth $500,000, earning $300,000 from his hat-free show in 2023. These things may not matter.
The PGA of the United States will provide more money to the Ryder Cup players in two ways in 2025. First, each of the 12 players of the United States will be assigned $300,000 ($100,000 more than the charity designated in 23 years). Second, each player will receive a new $200,000 “player allowance” that can be spent anywhere. The DP World Tour, which is responsible for the European Ryder Cup team, will not change its payment method in 2025. This trip will not give players a dime to perform, but will cash out most of the tournament revenues in the Cup as their own safes – the income generated by the revenues are crucial to continuing to tour.
Given these facts, it is not particularly challenging to create narratives around player salaries and Ryder Cups. Countless golf commentators and fans have tried to do this during the preview of Bethpage. In their narrative, American players represent the worst instincts of the golf era, and their blatant money-making flies in the face of the long-standing ideal of sportsmanship and kindness in the Ryder Cup. Meanwhile, European players represent true purists of golf, their willingness to give up their salary not only shows the depth of their commitment to the Cup, but also the depth of their commitment. Relative to Their American counterparts apparently like golf and Ryder Cups to the point where they divide by asking for payment.
In another accounting case in another story, Xander Schauffele’s father Stefan shares a character on the ’23 Ryder Cup. Americans are heroes of the modern sports era, winning efforts to cope with greed, dark companies that are unwilling to share. In the same speech, it is not wrong for Europeans to refuse payment, but just naively to the world in a way that allows them to continue exploitation.
The truth is that both sides are wrong. These arguments are not only lazy, but also completely missed this. The boo here is not Cantlay for Americans or Europeans. Boogman is not money, empowerment or fairness. The solution to Ryder Cup players’ salaries is to stare in our faces, which is not very difficult to understand: consistency.
If we can agree that the Ryder Cup is a truly special event, then we can also agree that the responsibility for achieving that goal is equally dependent on the parties. No one – not a player, caddy, agent, sponsor, entertainer, fans, governing bodies, television partners or anyone else – can allow the furthest pursuit of the Ryder Cup ideal. The social contract is binding.
At Bethpage Black, it’s hard to find evidence of the greater benefits beyond the edge of Excel spreadsheets. Tickets for this year’s event, held at one of the few golf courses in the U.S., are any promises of affordability and accessibility, at an astronomical figure of $750 and more than ten times the state’s serving time. At the company level, $10,000 per ticket treat is popular sellers.
Even those who survive, should be prepared to spend more. Tickets purchased include food and soft drinks, but alcohol is not. The price of beer is at least $15 and up to $19. Inside the merchandise tent, the simple Ryder Cup T-shirt costs $82-$82! ! ! – Although some sweatshirts cost over $150. Parking space, 20 minutes from the property in Jones Beach, priced at $55 per day. Hell, even those who watch at home have reasonable concerns: NBC returns to the event after Rome’s fierce attack on commercial disruptions.
Consider how outrageous these prices sound in the Masters context, where moisture tickets, free parking and $1.50 pizza sandwich have become unique choices for the tournament, signing market TV deals every year below limited ads and stunning visuals. Augusta National is still manufacturing and charging adequate fees during the Masters Week, especially at its legendary merchandise center, but there are obviously few instances of alleged protests and very little grip in the Peanut Gallery. Maybe Azaleas and the green jacket have a calming effect, or just that everyone agrees to play the same rules.
The Masters is a convenient example of golf writers supporting profit kindness. It’s also an outlier – a game gets rid of the hard financial reality of economic laws and biennial match events. Still, it’s not hard to look around the rest of the golf world and see examples of money-making businesses who are determined to do the right thing (e.g., free tickets to children’s open championships, such as commercial booking at the U.S. Open).
All this is not wrong for anyone to cash a check. The key is not even cashing the check Bad. The point is that for those who openly cash the checks, the standards are so unfair and therefore so inconsistent.
certainly I’m happy with the theorization of a world where high-paying golf stars put down their wallets and gave back to the golf game. However, any conversation about money and golf should start with a conversation around consistency.
On a golf course, just like in real estate, location is everything. As long as the Ryder Cup’s commercial and competitive engines run on different tracks, real estate between ropes will only become more expensive.
