Even though the Ryder Cup is over, the drama from this one may live forever.
There was no lack of headlines emanating from Italy during the Ryder Cup, and now one is coming out after the teams have already departed.
In a report by The Sunday Times, Xander Schauffele’s role on the United States team was in doubt all the way up until the event due to contract negotiations with the PGA of America. Schauffele’s father, Stefan, detailed the problems.
Schauffele had reportedly tried to make some amendments made to a player bonus contract that was to be signed before the Ryder Cup.
“The PGA of America were not willing to even talk to us about [the amendments],” Stefan told The Times. “It was very late in the schedule right before the team came here [to Rome] to practice because they had moved the deadline, and they said, ‘If you don’t sign it by then, you’re off the team’, but they never gave us the contact information of their legal counsel.
Schauffele said that the negotiations were financially related.
“Saturday morning of Labor Day weekend, finally, the head of the PGA of America got wind of this because it was not him that was blocking it and put our lawyers in contact with the PGA of America’s general counsel, and then it took a few hours to hash it out, and it was fine. Then, I received a message that Xander was back on the team. That you can quote. That’s the extent of this, and I think it’s shameful.”
Schauffele also discussed how the players are not sharing in the profit of playing in the Ryder Cup.
“If the PGA of America is a for-profit organization, they need to have the players share in that profit instead of being so damned intransparent about it with intent,” Stefan Schauffele told No Laying Up. “They should reveal the numbers, and then we should go to the table and talk. Alternatively, they can donate all proceeds after opening the books to a charity of our joint choice, and then we will happily play for free. Please print that.”
This follows a report from Jamie Weir that Patrick Cantlay was upset that he was not being paid to participate in the Ryder Cup, and it was causing dissension in the United States team room. Also, that was the reason he was not wearing a hat.
It should be noted that Cantlay did not wear a hat in the last Ryder Cup, President’s Cup, or when he participated in the Walker Cup.
Cantlay adamantly denied that report.
“It’s totally false,” Cantlay said Sunday. “It couldn’t be further from the truth. There hasn’t been one word of that all week. The U.S. team has been close all week.”
Europe beat the United States 16 1/2 to 11 1/2. The United States has not won the Ryder Cup on European soil since 1993.
