Tiger Woods has suggested that each American player in the Ryder Cup should receive $5 million (£3.9 million) and donate that money to charity.
Last month it was reported that the 12 American players who will compete in next year’s 45th biennial competition against Europe at Bethpage Black in New York will each earn $400,000. In its 97-year history, the players have never received money for playing for their respective teams.
‘We had the same conversation in 1999,’ Woods said. ‘We didn’t want to get paid. We wanted to give more money to charity, [but] the media turned it against us and said we wanted to get paid.
‘The Ryder Cup makes so much money, why can’t we allocate it to various charities? ‘I hope [the US players] get five million dollars each and donate it all to different charities. I think that’s great. What’s wrong with that?
‘It’s so hard to get into that team, there are only 12 guys. What’s wrong with being able to allocate more funds?’ Four-time major champion Rory McIlroy said he would ‘pay to play’ for Europe in the Ryder Cup following reports.
Asked what this said about the Europeans’ attitude towards the Ryder Cup, Woods said: ’It’s fine, it’s their right to say that. ‘If the Europeans want to pay to be in the Ryder Cup, then it’s their decision, it’s their team.
‘I know that once on European soil it subsidises a lot of their tour, so it’s a big event for the European tour. If they want to pay to participate, then so be it.’ Woods says that ‘the fire still burns to compete’, but remains out of action due to injury ahead of 2025.
Woods, winner of 15 majors, has not played since The Open in July, where he failed to make the cut for the third consecutive major. While recent years have seen the American marred by injuries, the 48-year-old remains focused on a competitive comeback.
‘I’m not ready for the tournament, I’m not there yet,’ Woods said. ‘When I’m ready to compete and play at the [highest] level, then I will. ‘The fire still burns to compete. The difference is that the body recovery to do it is not what it used to be.’
Woods’ latest setback was due to back problems that spread, causing him leg pain. In September, Woods underwent back surgery for the sixth time, two months after his last outing at Royal Troon.
‘I didn’t think my back would go like it did this year,’ Woods added, speaking at this week’s Hero World Challenge event he is hosting in the Bahamas. ‘It was pretty painful throughout the end of the year, so I had another surgery to ease the pain I had down my leg.
‘I feel like I’m getting stronger, I’m getting more flexible, but I still have a long way to go to be able to compete with these guys.’
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