Schauffele Reckons USA Players Payment Feud ‘Juices Everything Up’ & Will Be Better For 2025 Ryder Cup

2 weeks ago by 0

World No. 2 Xander Schauffele reckons the US Ryder Cup team payment controversy ‘juices everyting up’ and will be better for the Ryder Cup.

Schauffele was speaking ahead of this week’s opening PGA Tour event of 2025, The Sentry in Hawaii where last year’s double major winner finds himself the leading world ranked player in the absence of an injured World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler.

“I just see it as a whole lot of money going to charity and we’re going to take a lot of crap,” Schauffele said in speaking with AP and asked his reaction to the PGA of America’s decision to raise the charity amount from $200,000 per player to $500,000 and with $300,000 of that to go to a chosen charity and the remaining $200,000 as a stipend.

Schauffele, and a member of the past two USA Ryder Cup sides, added it was only going to make the Ryder Cup more intense.

“The way the whole thing is shaking down, it’s good for this big rivalry. And it’s going to be better for the Ryder Cup.

“Whenever there’s like a feud, what happens? It juices everything up around it. The Ryder Cup is going to do better because of this thing.

“We’re used to playing in these team events and not getting paid and giving our portion away happily. It’s a really nice thing we can do. We make plenty of money throughout the year, so we’re happy to give money when we can”.

The reigning PGA Championship winner and Open champion added:

“I’m looking at it as an opportunity to give away more money.

“It’s never going to be perceived that way, just with how the media talks about stuff and how things shook down in Italy. It’s going to go to charity. I spoke to Keegan and he had a plan before, and that got blown up by the leak of the whole thing.

“Keegan had a plan to get all the boys to do something really nice. And now everyone is pointing fingers on how this thing has shaken down. Learning from the PGA Tour, we’re going to give back to the community however we can help, whether it’s the Fire Department or NYPD or you name it. Keegan is from the Northeast, and we’ll take his lead.”

USA Captain Keegan Bradley, and teeing-up this week alongside defending Sentry champion Chris Kirk, suggested leaked news last September of an increase in the USA player payment ‘screwed up’ their charity donation plans.

“Our timetable got screwed up when that report came out. Our plan wasn’t to have this happen so quick,” Bradley said in speaking to journalists in Hawaii.

“We’re just trying to do the right thing. This is ultimately a PGA of America decision. All we want to do is give more back and make more of an impact.”

AP notes this pay-for-play topic first arose in 1999 when David Duval, Tiger Woods and Mark O’Meara questioned why PGA Tour players had no input on the revenue they produced for the PGA of America in a Ryder Cup that was fast growing into one of golf’s biggest revenue sources.

Patrick Cantlay, who has been a part of this dicussion since events unfolded at the 2023 Ryder Cup, declared in Hawaii: “There’s not a shred of truth” to suggestions he was not wearing his USA team cap due to any non-payment issue.

“When it comes to the Ryder Cup, I’m fully focused on representing my country and winning points for my teammates,” Cantlay said ahead of the $20m Hawiian event.

“Right now, I’m focused completely on trying to make the team.”

  • Associated Press 

 



Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *