When is Enough Money

Don’t get me wrong—everyone likes money. It’s not like I’m writing this commentary for free.

But we forget that the game of golf is fragile.

The PGA Tour is not the NFL, NBA, MLB, or NHL; it has no owners to save it.

The DP World Tour literally lives paycheck to paycheck, and while the Tour received $1.5 billion from the Strategic Sports Group, it would be hard to believe that those investments are for operations.

Professional golf finances may seem more healthy than they are. The USGA, PGA of America, and the R&A are unsatisfied with the crazy purse increases.

But let’s not digress; the real issue the last couple of weeks has been the Ryder Cup.

First, ticket prices for Bethpage have been criticized by everyone who has a megaphone, but they are reasonable in the most expensive marketplace in the United States.

Some may call the PGA of America piggish, but I hope they say it with a smile, given the outflow it is distributing.

In 2000, when Tiger Woods defeated Bob May in a playoff at Valhalla, the purse was $3.5 million.

Last year, again at Valhalla, the purse was $18.5 million, a $15 million increase.

Of course, the PGA of America added a women’s major to the schedule since 2000, which cost them $10.4 million last year in purse alone.

Now, the U.S. team wants more. They want a reported $400,000 each to play in an event that generates revenue, which supports the enlarged purses, and already contributes millions to the PGA Tour for its participation in the Ryder Cup.

The fact that the 12 players are unaware of where the money goes when it hits the Tours bank account is not the PGA of America’s issue.

"I personally would pay for the privilege to play on the Ryder Cup," McIlroy told BBC Sport on Thursday after the first round of the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.

"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."

Oddly, McIlroy didn’t get the Ryder Cup when he was young and still had curls, but experience and time have not only changed his mind about the event but have made him a defender of the event.

"I don't think any of the 24 players on either team needs that 400 grand," McIlroy said. "Every two years, there are 104 weeks and 103 weeks you can play golf and get paid."

It wouldn’t matter if it were McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Tommy Fleetwood, or any lesser players on the DP World Tour; they speak as one when the Ryder Cup is discussed.

As McIlroy said, it’s hard to believe that every former or current American Ryder Cupper feels that the $400,000 is necessary.

Last week, I advocated for the Americans to play in a qualifier for Ryder Cup spots.

I still believe this, even if the American pay-for-play scheme is voted down by the PGA of America, which it should be.

All these issues come down to one thing: the desire to play on the Ryder Cup team.

The Europeans are committed, and the Americans seem distracted by money.

I’d like to believe it is not all the Americans, but I’m not hearing much from U.S. players about what is a pigish attitude.

"I think we would all welcome money if it didn't change the dynamic, but the money really would change the dynamic," McIlroy said. "That's why I think everyone is like, let's not do that."