In the ongoing debate regarding the US players being paid for the upcoming Ryder Cup, golf commentator and analyst Brandel Chamblee has made his stance loud and clear. He minced no words as he put up a long post on social media.
Traditionally, the Ryder Cup and the Presidents Cup do not pay the golfers for their appearance in the biennial events. Players participate in the tournaments for the pride of their nations. However, according to reports, that might change as the Europe vs US match arrives at the Bethpage Black next year as US team members may receive $400,000 as an appearance fee.
However, Chamblee doesn’t believe that US golfers should be paid for their Ryder Cup appearances. In scathing words, he said via an X post:
“It is fitting, given that the Ryder Cup is a product of the PGA of America, that the bulk of every US Ryder Cup team, is also a product of the PGA of America. Which is one of the reason why the calls by some players to be paid to play in the Ryder Cup is so troubling. In playing in the Ryder Cup players are not just playing for their country, they are, one could argue, paying back a debt they owe to the game.”
Chamblee noted how the PGA Tour eventually invests the cash prizes won in the Ryder Cup into players’ pension funds, outreach programs and scholarships.
“It would not impact their lives in any material way” – Brandel Chamblee on US golfers getting paid for their Ryder Cup appearances
Only the best golfers of the time manage to make the cut into Ryder Cup teams. Being the best player can also mean that they earn hefty amounts in cash prizes and sponsorship deals.
Brandel Chamblee calculated the amount that can be paid to US golfers for appearing in the Ryder Cup and came to a conclusion that the sum won’t eventually make much of a difference to these golfers. However, the same can’t be said for the underprivileged or budding golfers who are helped through the multiple initiatives and scholarships conducted by the PGA Tour.
“In 2023 the 12 players that made the US Ryder Cup team made an average of $10,132,832 dollars in prize money over the course of the year, a sum no doubt greatly added to by FEDEX Cup bonuses and sponsor contracts,” Chamblee noted.
He further added:
“As some of the very best in the game, the deserve it, but it seems to me that whatever sum they would directly receive from playing in the Ryder Cup, it would not impact their lives in any material way. Which is far from the case by those who benefit from the various initiatives run by the PGA of America which are funded from the left over proceeds of the Ryder Cup.”
The golf analyst then drew attention to why golfers have been playing the biennial tournament in the first place.
“Over the years in listening to the vast majority of the best players, there is no pressure like that faced in a Ryder Cup and making the team has unrivaled prestige in the game. Pressure and prestige not derived from any monetary reward, but simply for the honor of playing for one’s country and teammates,” he remarked.
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