“It’s completely unfair the way it is now” – Reflecting on Tiger Woods’ past grievance of unpaid participation during the 1999 Ryder Cup

Patrick Cantlay put to rest the rumors from Saturday, September 30, which suggested that he wore the hat at the Ryder Cup 2023 as a form of protest to demand payment for the event. According to him, the hat simply didn’t fit his head, a situation similar to what occurred in 2021.

After Cantlay sank a crucial 30-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole of the Saturday fourball match, the US team waved their hats in response to the persistent boos from the crowd directed at the golfer.

However, this wasn’t the first time that concerns about compensation for participating in the biennial event had arisen. Even Tiger Woods has addressed the issue in the past.

It happened before the 1999 Ryder Cup at The Country Club when Golf Digest reported that the PGA of America was earning $17.5 million and the host club was netting $5 million, while the players, as usual, were competing solely for national glory.

Golf Digest’s business writer, Steve Bailey, noted that while everyone was profiting from the Ryder Cup, the players were left empty-handed. Tiger’s statement was quoted in the article, where he said:

“It’s completely unfair the way it is now.”

Jim Furyk mentioned that many players were questioning where the money was going. David Duval was quoted as saying that things wouldn’t change until the players stopped participating in the Ryder Cup. He added that many players, including Tiger Woods, had discussed not playing in the biennial tournament in the future.

However, Duval later clarified that the concern was more about decision-making regarding the distribution of profits than individual compensation for playing at the Ryder Cup. Since then, the PGA of America has decided to provide $200,000 to each participant, allowing them to donate the money to the charity of their choice.

Who is leading at the 2023 Ryder Cup after two days?

Here are the results of the Ryder Cup 2023 matches so far:

Friday Foursome

Match 1:

• Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton (Europe) beat Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns (US) with a score of 4 and 3.

Match 2:

• Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Åberg (Europe) beat Max Homa and Brian Harman (US) with a score of 4 and 3.

Match 3:

• Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka (Europe) beat Rickie Fowler and Collin Morikawa (US) with a score of 2 and 1.

Match 4:

• Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood (Europe) beat Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay (US) with a score of 2 and 1.

Friday Four-Ball:

Match 5:

• Viktor Hovland and Tyrrell Hatton (Europe) tied with Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth (US).

Match 6:

• Jon Rahm and Nicolai Højgaard (Europe) tied with Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka (US).

Match 7:

• Robert MacIntyre and Justin Rose (Europe) tied with Max Homa and Wyndham Clark (US).

Match 8:

• Rory McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick (Europe) beat Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele (US) with a score of 5 and 3.

Saturday Foursome:

Match 9:

• Rory McIlroy & Tommy Fleetwood (Europe) beat Justin Thomas & Jordan Spieth (US) with a score of 2 and 1.

Match 10:

• Viktor Hovland & Ludvig Åberg (Europe) beat Scottie Scheffler & Brooks Koepka (US) with a score of 9 and 7.

Match 11:

• Max Homa & Brian Harman (US) beat Shane Lowry & Sepp Straka (Europe) with a score of 4 and 2.

Match 12:

• Jon Rahm & Tyrrell Hatton (Europe) beat Patrick Cantlay & Xander Schauffele (US) with a score of 2 and 1.

Saturday Fourball:

Match 13:

• Sam Burns & Collin Morikawa (US) beat Viktor Hovland & Ludvig Åberg (Europe) with a score of 4 and 3.

Match 14:

• Max Homa & Brian Harman (US) beat Tommy Fleetwood & Nicolai Højgaard (Europe) with a score of 2 and 1.

Match 15:

• Justin Rose & Robert MacIntyre (Europe) beat Justin Thomas & Jordan Spieth (US) with a score of 3 and 2.

Match 16:

• Patrick Cantlay & Wyndham Clark (US) beat Matthew Fitzpatrick & Rory McIlroy (Europe) with a score of 1 UP.