jackpot
David Davies : Golf
Mark OMeara, who at 40 has never won a major championship and yet is riotously rich, thinks players should be paid for playing in the Ryder Cup.
The American, who in eight games in three Ryder Cup matches has won twice, said in Paris this week: I think the whole thing needs to be looked at. Its not about greed, its just the thing to do. Theres a lot of pressure and there are a lot of functions.
OMeara, in France to play in and win the Lancme Trophy near Versailles, went on: If the Ryder Cup has become big business and a lot of money is being generated then maybe its time to take a look. There could be some avenue to say Hey, thanks to the players. Maybe money into a retirement fund. At the Presidents Cup they split what was left over after the running costs and gave us all around $32 000 to give to the charity of our choice.
Only 15 players in the history of the game have made more money out of it than OMeara, whose career winnings alone before this weeks event are $10 507 875 . Any estimate of his overall earnings would have to double that at least, making him one of the worlds wealthiest sportsmen.
This week, for instance, he receive about $70,000 for appearing, and the 116 660 first prize.
But he has no qualms about wishing to be given money for the one week in every two years in which he currently competes without being paid. Well, he said this week to the assembled reporters, you wouldnt go to a Ryder Cup without being paid, would you?
Which rather misses the point. No one goes to watch scribblers scribble, but if they did attract an audience, and if they were paid at OMeara rates which average about $92 000 a month since he turned professional, then I dare say some of them might indeed forgo being paid for one week.
The more so if the honour and glory of representing their country were involved.
OMeara said: The thing about the Ryder Cup is that its unique: 12 guys in team competition not wanting to let anyone down. But the thing that really separates the Ryder Cup from any other sporting event in the world is that it is all done for the glory of representing ones country and not for money.
Jesper Parnevik, who at the end of this month will be playing in his first Ryder Cup, said that the contest was a money- making machine and that in a recent poll in the United States, on The Golf Channel, 57% of viewers thought it was the biggest golf event of all. He thought OMeara had a point.
But OMearas point misses the fact that all the money raised goes back into the game at some level, most notably to the grass roots. Any proposal to divert that money to megabuck professionals is not only insensitive, it is indecent.
Tony Jacklin once said payment for playing in the Ryder Cup should never happen. In any case, he asked, how do you assess what the players are worth? A flat rate of say 100 000 a man? An average of each team members weekly winnings? And do you pay Nick Faldo the same as, say, Costantino Rocca? How about paying for points gained in the matches? If it ever comes to it, OMeara had better hope it is not that last solution.
* Meanwhile the row over the non- participation in the Ryder Cup of Miguel Angel Martin continues to rumble. His lawyers met those from the Ryder Cup committee at Madrid Airport last Thursday and Ken Schofield, the executive director of the PGA European Tour, said yesterday: Our people thought the matter was concluded.
There was an hour of sabre-rattling and then an hour of talks and we thought that was that. But the Spanish side came back the following day with the idea of claiming compensation. That is an idea we will resist. We do not expect to be offering any.
Miguel has been told that he can have the 3 500 for expenses which the other members of the Ryder Cup team get, he can have the blazer, uniform and the right to call himself a Ryder Cup player. He qualified for that and is entitled to that category when it comes to qualifying for our events. It means he would have an extra years exemption.
He will also be invited to attend the Ryder Cup itself and will be made very welcome.
The captain, Severiano Ballesteros, may not agree with that last sentiment for he was openly contemptuous of Martin at Crans-sur- Sierre two weeks ago.
Martin is said to have told Ballesteros that, if he were a captains selection, he would withdraw but, as he was among the automatic qualifiers, he would expect to be at Valderrama. Ballesteros then said: He was not welcome before. Do you think he is welcome now?
Many members of the tournament committee feel he was rejected too hastily and should be allowed until the morning of the matches to get himself fit.
ENDS