‘it’s Like The Olympics’: Patrick Reed Against Ryder Cup Player Payment

Patrick Reed believes it “unnecessary” that his chap Americans will beryllium paid for information successful nan upcoming Ryder Cup. Reed, who has missed retired connected what would person been a 4th Ryder Cup quality astatine Bethpage, besides said Europe transportation nan advantage of having nan much closely-knit team.

US players positive their captain, Keegan Bradley, will beryllium fixed $500,000 (£368,300) – $300,000 (£221,000) of which must beryllium donated to kindness – for taking connected Luke Donald’s Europe. The remaining $200,000 (£147,320) has been labelled a stipend. The taxable was mostly mislaid successful fevered chat complete whether aliases not Bradley would prime himself arsenic a player but remains hugely significant. Europe’s contingent person ever been adamant they will not activity monetary reward for Ryder Cup appearances.

Reed, erstwhile nicknamed Captain America for his theatrics successful nan Ryder Cup, falls connected nan broadside of nan Europeans successful this debate. “I ne'er played successful that arena and cared astir playing it for money,” said nan erstwhile Masters champion. “It was each astir playing, representing my state and trying to triumph nan cup. It’s conscionable for illustration playing successful nan Olympics; erstwhile each 4 years and it conscionable intends thing to spell retired location and play for your country. There’s nary dollar magnitude that I would want to play successful a Ryder Cup aliases play successful an Olympics.

“I really deliberation it is unnecessary. There are definite events that money intends perfectly thing and that’s 1 of them. If you’re going to springiness money to players, person it each spell to their kindness aliases thing for illustration that. Do thing bully pinch it.”

Reed was speaking aft an opening information of 69 astatine Wentworth’s PGA Championship. On regular trips to this broadside of nan Atlantic, he has observed nan enslaved betwixt European players. “They’re each eating together,” Reed said. “The existent brotherhood and camaraderie retired here, you don’t really person successful nan States. Here, you’re jumping state to country, not authorities to state. So recreation conscionable comes retired that overmuch harder.

“I consciousness for illustration they play a batch of squad play complete here, increasing up and everything. We don’t, moreover though you’re playing precocious school, college, there’s not a batch of squad format. It’s spell out, play individual. You count four, 5 scores and you move on. That’s decidedly an separator that they person complete here, nan camaraderie and nan tightness of nan group. But I consciousness for illustration we’ve recognised that successful nan US, and we’re moving connected it.”

Two young buys pocketed Matt Fitzpatrick’s shot that landed successful foliage astatine Wentworth’s PGA Championship which ended up doing him a. favour. Photograph: Ashley Western/Colorsport/Shutterstock

Tom Vaillant and Ludvig Åberg group nan early gait successful Surrey pinch 8 nether par 64s. Thursday’s play was halted for 90 minutes successful nan early day owed to nan threat of lightning. As nan siren blew, Matt Fitzpatrick had conscionable whacked his tee changeable astatine nan last spread into foliage. What happened adjacent did nan Englishman a favour.

Fitzpatrick explained: “Dan, my caddie asked ‘What happens if personification goes sniffing astir successful nan bushes and finds your ball, and decides to pouch it?’ I thought that was a awesome point, because location had to beryllium a bully chance of that happening. So we called complete a referee and explained nan business and asked whether we should look for nan shot then, alternatively than consequence it being taken.

“He took america complete to nan crowd wherever we reckoned my shot would person landed. A fewer group location said they’d seen 2 young boys dive into nan bushes and travel retired grinning pinch a play ball. So we decided nan equilibrium of probability was that it was my ball, and that I would return a driblet successful that spot erstwhile we sewage back.

“I made a six but if I’d had to play my provisional shot it could person been worse. So those 2 small thieves who made disconnected pinch my shot astir apt saved maine a shot.” Fitzpatrick signed for a 66.