FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – Collin Morikawa added some much-needed levity to a week that has been dominated by talk of player stipends and perceived greed.
After deftly sidestepping the issue of stipends – which are being given to U.S. Ryder Cup players this week at Bethpage – Morikawa was asked if there was anyone in the U.S. team room who was particularly motivating.
“It’s actually been great. The vice captains we have are definitely trying to get into our wallets and in our heads, and that’s like something you normally don’t get,†Morikawa said.
Morikawa explained that during practice rounds on the Black Course, the vice captains, led by Brandt Snedeker and Kevin Kisner, have been challenging players with an assortment of prop bets.
“I’ve had a lot of prop bets. I’ve had a lot of fairway bets, birdie bets,†Morikawa explained. “I’m up on [Snedeker] but not by much. Xander [Schauffele] is taking the cake this week [from Kisner]. I’m positive on Sneds. Sneds is the main one that I think we all love to pick on and we love to have him as our bank.â€
As for the “other†financial questions this week and the $200,000 stipend U.S. players are receiving from the PGA of America for their participation, Morikawa had a more nuanced answer to what has become a complicated and polarizing issue.
“There’s no number. It could be zero. It could be one dollar. There isn’t a right or a wrong amount,†Morikawa said when asked if he thought the team was being “fairly†compensated. “All 12 of us here playing, when we tee it up on Friday, and before this all started, we just want to win the Ryder Cup. We want to win it for ourselves. We want to win it for our country.
“When we stood out [on the first tee] two days ago and we got speeches from the Nassau Players Club and we got speeches from the firefighter and his son, look, I’m not an emotional guy, but like there was emotions. And sometimes it just hits home.â€
The PGA of America altered its policy for Ryder Cup player compensation last December, increasing the amount given to each player for charity to $300,000 and adding the $200,000 stipend that can be used however the player wants.
The move has been questioned by those from Europe who have been quick to point out that those playing for the Continent are not compensated.
