Rory McIlroy says he would “pay for the privilege” of being able to play in the Ryder Cup following reports the American team will receive $400,00 a man to take part in New York next year.
The Daily Telegraph claim a deal has been agreed with the PGA of America that will see every member of the US team remunerated for playing at Bethpage.
The issue was brought to the fore in Rome last year when Patrick Cantlay refused to wear a Team USA cap in protest at not being paid for his time.
McIlroy, who closed in on a sixth Race to Dubai title today with an opening-round 67 at the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, said it was not a lead he and his Europe team-mates would look to follow.
Speaking to the BBC, the Northern Irishman said: “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.
“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.”
Rory McIlroy finishes his round with a share of the lead, narrowly missing out on a birdie 🤏⛳ pic.twitter.com/LVM9WOyAkh
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Pay the men they come to see
Central to Cantlay’s argument was that the event generates millions of dollars but the protagonists don’t see any of it.
“I can see the other side of the argument because the Ryder Cup does create a lot of revenue,” McIlroy added.
“It is one of the probably top five biggest sporting events in the world. So I get the argument that the talent should be or could be getting paid.
“But the Ryder Cup is so much more than that, especially to the Europeans and to this tour.”
European players have spoken about the matter
McIlroy did admit the subject had been discussed with captain Luke Donald.
“We have all had a conversation with Luke about it over the past few weeks because we obviously heard,” he said.
“The common consensus among us is that $5m would be better off spent elsewhere on the DP World Tour to support other events or even to support The Challenge Tour.”
One of the heroes of the win in Rome, Scotland’s Bob MacIntyre, echoed McIlroy’s view.
He said: “Last year we didn’t get paid, and getting paid would not change the way I feel about the Ryder Cup.
“I wore my heart on my sleeve last year, and like everyone else on the European team, it’s not about the money.”
