Should Ryder Cuppers get paid? Yes, but I don’t think professional golfers want to be paid to play in the Ryder Cup. The issue is far more nuanced than ‘Greedy Pro golfers want more money.’
Instead, Ryder Cuppers don’t want to be taken advantage of; nobody likes to be taken advantage of. And there is a big difference.
Today’s Ryder Cup is not the same Ryder Cup contested in the golden era of golf or even after the event was broadened to add European golfers. It is a big deal, and every golfer not only wants a spot on the team, but many would probably pay to play on the team. But that is not reality, nor the issue.
The Ryder Cup has become a massive event that generates enormous money. Many stakeholders and adjacent entities benefit from a growing Ryder Cup pool—all except the players.
Does anyone really believe Walter Hagen was NOT paid to play and captain the 1927 Ryder Cup matches?
Hagen passed on defending his PGA Championship title in 1922 to play in exhibition matches that were more lucrative than the $500 Gene Sarazen received for winning the 5th PGA Championship that year.
Now, there are tens of millions of dollars involved, and the players are expected to play for the glory, tradition, and the honor of representing their country. The offer falls flat to me.
Pay the players, then share some of the proceeds with past Ryder Cuppers. The golfers who paved the way and helped to create the Ryder Cup we all look forward to every other year.