“It’s a sad commentary on the pro game” – Golf analyst reacts to Rory McIlroy turning down $400,000 to play the Ryder Cup  

Rory McIlroy isn’t too impressed by reports that American golfers will receive $400,000 to compete in next year's Ryder Cup. Instead of backing the decision, the Northern Irishman noted that he would pay for the “privilege to play” for Europe in the competition. The four-time Major champion said he didn’t think any of the 24 players on either team needed the payout.

Former professional golfer and commentator Brandel Chamblee has since come out to laud McIlroy for his comments. The analyst said the PGA Tour has “hit the nail on the head” with his remarks. He said that players treating “every aspect of this game as transactional” was “a sad commentary on the professional game.” Chamblee, a staunch LIV Golf critic, stated that golf's “increasing commoditization” was a “tough pill to swallow.”

The ace commentator details the example of Michelangelo’s ‘statue of David’ to reiterate that events like the Ryder Cup aren’t played for money.

Brandel Chamblee wrote on X:

“Once again Rory (McIlroy) hits the nail on the head. It’s a sad commentary on the professional game that a few players with misdirected and undo power treat every aspect of this game, including the privilege of playing for one’s country, as transactional. They are the reason the very lifeblood of this game, which is to say those that play it recreationally, are increasingly turning away from those that play it professionally.

"The increasing commoditization of this game is a tough pill to swallow. I recently read a commentary on greed that went something like this: Think of Michelangelo, who in seeking to merely honor the glory of man, carved the statue of David, and wanting to highlight the capacity that humans have for compassionate suffering, he carved the Pieta. Neither of these masterpieces were motivated by money, they were motivated by wanting to draw the human spirit upward.”

Chamblee opined that players need to play to “rediscover the reason to pursue the highest level” and not strive for money. He reiterated Rory McIlroy’s words that playing for one’s country is a ‘privilege’ and is not done for the ‘profit’ of it.

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Rory McIlroy dubs the Ryder Cup and Olympics as the ‘purest forms’ of golf

Rory McIlroy took a sly jibe at the American golfers by stating that he would ‘pay’ instead of receiving payment to play the Ryder Cup. Reacting to reports of Keegan Bradley’s team receiving an equal split of $4.8 million for next year's contest, the Northern Irishman stated that the US vs Europe event and the Olympics were the “two purest forms of competition” and part of the purity was because of “no money being involved.”

Speaking after taking the shared lead after round one of the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, Rory McIlroy told BBC Sport:

“I personally would pay for the privilege to play on the Ryder Cup. The two purest forms of competition in our game right now are the Ryder Cup and the Olympics, and it's partly because of that, the purity of no money being involved…

"I don't think any of the 24 players on either team needs that 400 grand. Every two years, there are 104 weeks and 103 weeks you can play golf and get paid.”

It is pertinent to note that the American team’s decision to pay its players and Rory McIlroy's candid reaction to it comes amid talks of increased prize money payouts in men’s professional golf. The prize purses reached record highs in recent years due to the arrival of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series.