Report says USA Ryder Cuppers to be paid $400k as pricey tickets are "sold out" and Seatgeek gouging enrages fans. Plus, eye-catching auction items are up for grabs, This, That, Quotable and Reads.
Money grubbing by the players has "some" justification because there are some other money grubbers up the money eco-chain making big bucks off of their "free play" and proud of it.
Why not establish a pot of prize money and winner takes all. Pay me to show up tastes bad; pay me if I win tastes good.
That's a great point on pay and a point that has been made about some of the silly purse increases: no one begrudges compensation for the job delivered, but when you sense it was not fully earned or deserved, it has zero impact. Or worse, fuels hostility.
8 hrs ago·edited 8 hrs agoLiked by Geoff Shackelford
A lot to digest there Geoff. I mean 400k is almost like paying for free. When corporate America wakes up and realizes there isn’t the ROI from golf that there use to be. Then maybe the players will realize they shot the golden goose. Nice to see the PGA and the players work so hard to ruin a great event. Hopefully, some players will donate their payments if they want to earn a smidge of respect.
Watching the tournaments from the Middle East, it must dawn on some that their ROI isn’t because of money but legitimacy in the world. You have said it before sports washing. That’s a whole other thread.
I would have thought the ROI matter was perfectly clear to players and execs when you had the likes of Farmers, Wells Fargo and possibly RBC saying the price tag is getting too high. But there are still plenty of golf-loving CEO's willing to step in and pay...apparently.
And we know golf rarely has delivered a solid ROI but sponsorships work in different ways for different companies. That little opening seems to be enough to keep encouraging the short-sighted greed. A strong Commissioner could probably explain this but even then, enough players hang with successful folks who tell them how underpaid they are to hit a ball 300 yards and that's enough to make a giant mess of things.
Why does all the money grubbing at the Ryder Cup come from the American side? Yes, American professional golfers are a particularly self-absorbed cohort, but probably not so much more than European golfers. Faldo and Monty are in the 99th percentile for selfishness, but to my knowledge they never said boo about getting paid for the Ryder Cup. I think the focus on money from American players reflects a culture which glorifies the individual and everything is transactional. Cantlay and Duval before him are products of a value system where you don’t do something for nothing. The Europeans probably also understand the broader financial value of the Ryder Cup. After all, all those Ferraris in Ian Poulter’s garage are because of the Ryder Cup.
It helps that the European Tour is heavily funded by the Ryder Cup and players realize there is a greater good element with the receipts in a Poulter-type career to prove it's worth their while, whereas the Ryder Cup is funding the PGA of America. So it's understandable why there may be a player divide on this. And then there is the cultural element you mention. That's a much more layered component!
Geoff you are fearless. The PGAT and their members are the same, money hungry selfish groups. But if the outrage is so great then why not just not watch and certainly not attend,( for those of you that have not been to the Black it is not a good spectator venue at least not for the proletariat) to send these organizations a special message. It has become an event that closely resembles the Roman Gladiators games. And to think once upon a time golf was the “gentlemen’s” game. For me the whole thing is a pass.
Well you raise a point that got me thinking: maybe it'll have a different gladiatorial vibe with some of the anticipated hostility toward the Europeans dulled by the pay issue. But yes, it's bordering on getting out of hand at the RC. The passion is fantastic and maybe better than a more staid "gentleman's game," but it'd also be nice to see even shred of appreciation for civility, dignity and a big picture sensibility appreciative of those who came before them (who played the RC for nothing out of a passion for competing).
10 hrs ago·edited 10 hrs agoLiked by Geoff Shackelford
Confirmed in my contempt, if this payment thing is turns out to be true.
But on the bright side, one less sports event (there are no others) to feel some need to watch on the TV! Cable cord was cut long ago, and when the current primitive flat screen goes there will be no replacement. More room for another bookshelf!
It will be interesting to see how many people join you on the shelf if this pay thing happens. I suspect not as many as we would hope. But the contrast with Europe's guys passing on pay will put the greed-is-great crowd in a tough spot! I'm torn since we see the revenues brought on on the player backs. They are doing the heaviest lifting in this event. But we also know that the golf world rewards Ryder Cup participants in many wonderful ways with appearance fees, sponsorships, hero status, etc...
God, I'm so torn! I'm 'Merican, so I tend to lean toward USA! USA! USA! But these guys make it so hard. The RC is one of my favorite things to watch (probably 3rd favorite after March Madness and The Mast... wait, is that a Die Hard rerun?). It's become a fascinating back-and-forth between us and the hated Euros, but now I probably have to put "hated" in quotes. I honestly don't know how I'll feel come September. Is there a LIV tournament that weekend that I can stream from a Belarusian VPN?
The Monday practice round for the RC was reduced to $235 .which includes 3 item limit at the food area..similar to PGA..Fee included .Ticket for Practice round at Quail Hollow is $65 includes food. 6 day international Pavilion access was $3400 & $467 fee for right to buy expensive food and drink. The Dunlop Phoenix in Japan , in addition to prize money , the winner will receive a wagyu cow!!...restaurant price around $200 a lb...for wagyu ..
$235 with someone checking what you take, and if you're lucky a few of the golfers turn up in the afternoon to organize their locker and hit a bucket. 🤦🏻♂️
Where did you see this? I just got another email about Tues-Thurs tickets and limits lifted but did not see anything about the limit (I think you meant for Tuesday?)
I had access to the RC lottery with a code.. I double checked. ..$235 with fee included when the window opened......I had indicated my preference for the lottery with out knowing the price until you broke the story 2 days later. I checked out the opportunity to buy with no intention of buying...
Gloomiest ever! Glad you saw that I was able to balance it out a little bit. Though I'm not sure the players demanding money is the worst thing ever. It might turn down the expected and unnecessary anti-Team Europe temperature next year.
In John Daly's defense, he only sold the Jug once. The current seller is unidentified but not him. Though Gary Player's sale price undoubtedly has a few players rethinking whether they really need a replica that sells for way more than they made in prize money for winning.
Money grubbing by the players has "some" justification because there are some other money grubbers up the money eco-chain making big bucks off of their "free play" and proud of it.
Why not establish a pot of prize money and winner takes all. Pay me to show up tastes bad; pay me if I win tastes good.
That's a great point on pay and a point that has been made about some of the silly purse increases: no one begrudges compensation for the job delivered, but when you sense it was not fully earned or deserved, it has zero impact. Or worse, fuels hostility.
A lot to digest there Geoff. I mean 400k is almost like paying for free. When corporate America wakes up and realizes there isn’t the ROI from golf that there use to be. Then maybe the players will realize they shot the golden goose. Nice to see the PGA and the players work so hard to ruin a great event. Hopefully, some players will donate their payments if they want to earn a smidge of respect.
Watching the tournaments from the Middle East, it must dawn on some that their ROI isn’t because of money but legitimacy in the world. You have said it before sports washing. That’s a whole other thread.
Thanks Geoff
I would have thought the ROI matter was perfectly clear to players and execs when you had the likes of Farmers, Wells Fargo and possibly RBC saying the price tag is getting too high. But there are still plenty of golf-loving CEO's willing to step in and pay...apparently.
And we know golf rarely has delivered a solid ROI but sponsorships work in different ways for different companies. That little opening seems to be enough to keep encouraging the short-sighted greed. A strong Commissioner could probably explain this but even then, enough players hang with successful folks who tell them how underpaid they are to hit a ball 300 yards and that's enough to make a giant mess of things.
Why does all the money grubbing at the Ryder Cup come from the American side? Yes, American professional golfers are a particularly self-absorbed cohort, but probably not so much more than European golfers. Faldo and Monty are in the 99th percentile for selfishness, but to my knowledge they never said boo about getting paid for the Ryder Cup. I think the focus on money from American players reflects a culture which glorifies the individual and everything is transactional. Cantlay and Duval before him are products of a value system where you don’t do something for nothing. The Europeans probably also understand the broader financial value of the Ryder Cup. After all, all those Ferraris in Ian Poulter’s garage are because of the Ryder Cup.
It helps that the European Tour is heavily funded by the Ryder Cup and players realize there is a greater good element with the receipts in a Poulter-type career to prove it's worth their while, whereas the Ryder Cup is funding the PGA of America. So it's understandable why there may be a player divide on this. And then there is the cultural element you mention. That's a much more layered component!
Geoff you are fearless. The PGAT and their members are the same, money hungry selfish groups. But if the outrage is so great then why not just not watch and certainly not attend,( for those of you that have not been to the Black it is not a good spectator venue at least not for the proletariat) to send these organizations a special message. It has become an event that closely resembles the Roman Gladiators games. And to think once upon a time golf was the “gentlemen’s” game. For me the whole thing is a pass.
Well you raise a point that got me thinking: maybe it'll have a different gladiatorial vibe with some of the anticipated hostility toward the Europeans dulled by the pay issue. But yes, it's bordering on getting out of hand at the RC. The passion is fantastic and maybe better than a more staid "gentleman's game," but it'd also be nice to see even shred of appreciation for civility, dignity and a big picture sensibility appreciative of those who came before them (who played the RC for nothing out of a passion for competing).
Confirmed in my contempt, if this payment thing is turns out to be true.
But on the bright side, one less sports event (there are no others) to feel some need to watch on the TV! Cable cord was cut long ago, and when the current primitive flat screen goes there will be no replacement. More room for another bookshelf!
It will be interesting to see how many people join you on the shelf if this pay thing happens. I suspect not as many as we would hope. But the contrast with Europe's guys passing on pay will put the greed-is-great crowd in a tough spot! I'm torn since we see the revenues brought on on the player backs. They are doing the heaviest lifting in this event. But we also know that the golf world rewards Ryder Cup participants in many wonderful ways with appearance fees, sponsorships, hero status, etc...
God, I'm so torn! I'm 'Merican, so I tend to lean toward USA! USA! USA! But these guys make it so hard. The RC is one of my favorite things to watch (probably 3rd favorite after March Madness and The Mast... wait, is that a Die Hard rerun?). It's become a fascinating back-and-forth between us and the hated Euros, but now I probably have to put "hated" in quotes. I honestly don't know how I'll feel come September. Is there a LIV tournament that weekend that I can stream from a Belarusian VPN?
Uh, LIV will still be working out its '25 schedule that week.
It's been a while since I felt the Europeans were hated. Maybe because Sergio wasn't on the last team.
Geoffrey,
Like the “ransom note” - nicely done.
If I was representing the players - $400Kis opening bid - $90M is shareable - man got to put food on the table.
Wonder if the sellout is linked to anticipated tax cuts.
Memo to Mac : hire a haberdasher - worth a couple top-10’s
Should we expect to see bidding on EBay?
One more sign of the apocalypse
Waiter, another round!
The Monday practice round for the RC was reduced to $235 .which includes 3 item limit at the food area..similar to PGA..Fee included .Ticket for Practice round at Quail Hollow is $65 includes food. 6 day international Pavilion access was $3400 & $467 fee for right to buy expensive food and drink. The Dunlop Phoenix in Japan , in addition to prize money , the winner will receive a wagyu cow!!...restaurant price around $200 a lb...for wagyu ..
$235 with someone checking what you take, and if you're lucky a few of the golfers turn up in the afternoon to organize their locker and hit a bucket. 🤦🏻♂️
Where did you see this? I just got another email about Tues-Thurs tickets and limits lifted but did not see anything about the limit (I think you meant for Tuesday?)
I had access to the RC lottery with a code.. I double checked. ..$235 with fee included when the window opened......I had indicated my preference for the lottery with out knowing the price until you broke the story 2 days later. I checked out the opportunity to buy with no intention of buying...
Well I know which team I'm supporting at Bethpage next year.......
This might be the gloomiest Quad ever.
- US players getting $400k to play in the Ryder Cup.
- The original grotesque price of RC tickets, and now the even more revolting secondary market prices.
- Another player selling a Claret Jug.
- The depressing sight of Old Tom's statue vandalized.
- Matthew Rudy's article.
Thank goodness for Billy Horschel's comment, the ANGC video, and some Ridley Scott realism. And more great reporting, of course.
Gloomiest ever! Glad you saw that I was able to balance it out a little bit. Though I'm not sure the players demanding money is the worst thing ever. It might turn down the expected and unnecessary anti-Team Europe temperature next year.
In John Daly's defense, he only sold the Jug once. The current seller is unidentified but not him. Though Gary Player's sale price undoubtedly has a few players rethinking whether they really need a replica that sells for way more than they made in prize money for winning.
Great journalism Geoff. Keep holding these guys to account.
Looks like the Ryder Cup team flattering Sharpton, Beyonce and Oprah through imitation. Sadly, very few folks do freebies anymore.