Luke Donald, the captain of Team Europe that won the Ryder Cup, explains why players should never get paid to compete in the game.
Luke Donald did not rule out serving as the European captain again and reiterated his remarks regarding the compensation of Ryder Cup players.
Much of the competition in Italy was overshadowed by talk of money, as it became apparent that Patrick Cantlay of Team USA was unhappy that players weren’t getting paid for their participation in the yearly brawl.
Cantlay consistently denied that his refusal to wear a headgear was a protest and a sign of his displeasure with the situation.
With a manic chuckle, Viktor Hovland tells the golf reporter, “Suck it!”
Cantlay allegedly told a staff member on the first tee of Marco Simone Golf & Country Club that he would wear a cap once he was paid to be there, according to a later report by renowned golf reporter Michael Bamberger.
After his incredible PGA Tour season, Lucas Glover, who was vying for a late captain’s pick, later stated he had heard the U.S. side was splintered.
Donald was asked about whether players should get paid for participation on the Saturday evening of the Cup after thousands of European fans goaded Cantlay.
He sighed an offered a swift and unrelenting answer. “No,” he said.
Donald explained why in a recent interview for The Times, where he said: “It’s one week where you play for more than yourself, not about money or points, it’s about coming together as a team and the fans feed off that — it’s all passion.
He added:
“I don’t think we should ever get paid. If you play well, you can get paid in other ways. Your brand will go up exponentially and certain people will have bonuses in their contracts, but if you want to keep the essence and history of the Ryder Cup, it needs to stay the same.”
It wouldn’t be unreasonable to suggest all 12 European players who were involved in the five-point victory in Rome want the Englishman to continue in the role.
Winning an away Ryder Cup in the bearpit of Bethpage Black would undoubtedly top September’s victory.
Former captain Paul McGinley has already declared himself out of the running, and statistics man Edoardo “Dodo” Molinari has also removed himself from consideration in a recent interview with No Laying Up.
“It was certainly very gratifying to hear the players shout, ‘Two more years,’ afterwards and it would be an amazing challenge,” Donald stated to the newspaper. “But because it’s a big ask, I still need to sit down with my family and decide.”
Leave a Reply