Scottie Scheffler & Co’s Fans Allege Double Standards After ‘Money’ Jab at Ryder Cup Opening Ceremony

The Ryder Cup has always been about pride, brotherhood, and tradition, not money. But with the American team set to receive $500,000 each, that ideal is being challenged. Luke Donald keeps highlighting that his 12-man European squad will play for free, a point that’s starting to wear thin with fans.

Donald, in the opening ceremony of the biennial event at Bethpage Black, gave a strong speech on the honor of representing his continent and country in a foreign land.

But his speech did contain subtle jabs at the American side. “The Ryder Cup means so much to each and every one of us. It is unlike anything else in our sport…It is not about prize money or world ranking points. It’s about pride. It’s about representing your flag, your shirts, and the legacy you leave behind.”

Donald’s stand on being paid in the Ryder Cup has remained the same throughout. Just a day ago, he told Sky Sports how his team was not willing to get paid because, for them, being a part of the team is worth any cheque.

In fact, several of his team players have also been quite clear in their stands, with the likes of Rory McIlroy saying that instead of being paid, they would rather “pay for the privilege” of playing in the tournament.

Donald echoed the same sentiment in his speech as well: “We play for our families, our teammates, our countries, our continent, and for the generations before us who made this event what it is today.” On the other hand, when Scottie Scheffler was posed with a question regarding this “issue,” he was not hesitant in his opinion.

Being paid for the Ryder Cup was not an out-of-the-blue demand from Team US. For more than a decade, elite players like Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson (who has played the most Ryder Cups in history), and others have demanded to receive a certain amount for their participation.

Before this, the players were given $200,000, but that amount was solely for charity. But the ‘HatGate’ incident in Rome last time, after Patrick Cantlay reportedly didn’t wear a hat as a protest against not being paid (an allegation he later denied), acted as a catalyst for the entire demand.

As a result, from this year onward, it was decided that the Americans would receive a whopping $500,000. $300,000 for charity, and $200,000 for personal use.

Now, whether this was the right decision or not, that is subjective. But many like Donald have expressed their opinion on the matter. Captain Bradley was firm in his support for his team. When asked, he mentioned that he would personally donate all his payment, but emphasized that it was a “personal choice” of other players on how they would want to use the money. Tiger Woods, upon hearing the decision, called it a “move ahead in the right direction,” whereas former US Captain Tom Watson did not agree with this move.

All in all, there will be several opinions thrown from either side till the Ryder Cup goes on. But for fans, Donald’s antics and jabs at the Ryder Cup fees are not something they want to sit on. Many have been expressing their opinion on the internet.

Fans call out Luke Donald’s hypocrisy: ‘Quite annoying.’

Well, as much as the entire money lore goes, the fans are surely tired of Europe’s “moral high ground.” Luke Donald’s constant repetition of the no payment jab did not sit right with many Ryder Cup fans, most of whom are unsurprisingly from the US. Let us take a look at some of their comments.

One commentator said, “The money slant is so tiring. The irony of it all is that the only reason Donald got the captaincy is that their first choice took the money grab at LIV.” Luke Donald was not the first choice for the European captaincy; rather, it was Henrik Stenson. He was set to lead Europe in the Rome edition of the tournament, but after four months of his appointment, he was shown the exit door once it was confirmed that he would be joining LIV. As per reports, he took somewhere around $50 million for his affiliation with the Saudi-backed league. Hence, for many fans, it does seem somewhat ironic.

Echoing the same sentiment, another person chimed in: “Remember when Luke Donald got the captaincy because 5 European Ryder cuppers, including the then Ryder cup captain, said f*ck the Ryder cup and took the LIV.” Apart from Stenson, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, and Graeme McDowell were the reputed players and potential candidates for the Ryder Cup. But all of them chose to affiliate themselves with LIV. Garcia and Westwood, in fact, hold a stellar Ryder Cup record (28.5 and 21, respectively). But it should be noted that Jon Rahm is a part of the team. He was not made the captain because it would have been frowned upon, considering LIV’s reputation among the traditional fans.

“This whole shtick that Europe doesn’t care about money while having more LIV golfers than the USA is quite annoying.” Fans keep talking about LIV because the league has often been accused of tampering with traditional golf rules by throwing in huge chunks of money. It is reported that Rahm took a massive cheque of $300 or more for joining the league. So, for many, it comes across as ironic for Donald to keep talking about money and tradition when he has such players on his team. Apart from Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton is another LIV player on the team. That makes two of them, as compared to Team US’s one (Bryson DeChambeau). Around the same line, someone said, “If it’s not about $, why aren’t Poulter and Sergio captains?”

Another commenter pointed out the way Hatton and Rahm were able to qualify for the squad. “So pure and noble and selfless that they’ve included 2 players with outstanding fines and conveniently managed to bury the appeals process for 12 months so far 🤷‍♂️.” Unlike the PGA Tour’s complete ban from their regular events on LIV defectors, DPWT has an open avenue for these players to compete in the tournament, if they clear the fines imposed on them. But, reportedly, Rahm and Hatton are still left to do so and have instead appealed against these fines. Sergio Garcia, on the other hand, cleared all his dues, only for the hope of being selected for the Ryder Cup team. But due to his poor performance, he could neither qualify nor receive a captain’s pick.

And it is not like the European players do not receive anything for their participation in the tournament. As it is known, it’s a tradition for the captain to gift their players expensive gifts after the end of the tournament, as a token of appreciation for their performance. Last time, Luke Donald gifted his squad custom-made Jordan Airs after their win in Rome. And before that, in 2018, the team reportedly received expensive Rolexes. So referring to that, one commentator said, “NOT IN IT FOR THE $$$. NOT IN IT FOR THE $$$!!!… Now, players and caddies, here is your $100,000 Rolex!”

All this energy and buildup just means one thing: the upcoming days at Bethpage Black will be one of the finest contests ever seen in golf. Are you ready? Let us know in the comments below.