Talor Gooch: Ryder Cup stars putting on show while others stuff pockets 

Talor Gooch believes it is time to talk about the distribution of wealth at the Ryder Cup.

The fallout from an emotionally-charged Ryder Cup at Marco Simone continues to centre around the remuneration for players competing in future matches.

Patrick Cantlay, the pantomime villain in Rome, repeatedly denied one report that he was going hatless throughout the week in an apparent protest for not getting paid.

As it stands, the PGA of America rewards each US player $200,000 to donate to a charitable cause, despite the competition generating hundreds of millions of dollars for the organisation.

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And the money debate rages on after it was further ignited when Stefan Schauffele, the father of Xander who was Cantlay’s closest friend in the forlorn US locker room, claimed that the idea of player payments is “absolutely non-controversial”.

Gooch, who was ignored for a wildcard pick by losing captain Zach Johnson after three wins on the LIV circuit, hopes the discussion will prove “productive” this time around.

“I think it’s a good conversation to have,” he told bunkered.co.uk. “I know there’s been talk within not just recently but for a few years now.

“The players are what drive the value in professional golf and those environments. There just needs to be fair compensation. Hopefully this talk won’t talk negative and it will be productive. 

“I totally think the players are the ones bringing the value. The fans are showing up in droves to see Patrick Cantlay, Jon Rahm, Xander Schauffele, Brooks Koepka… so with that in mind it needs to be fair how it’s distributed.

“I don’t know what that looks like. I know they already get $200,000 to give to a charity of their choice, but they’re putting on the show and other people are stuffing their pockets more. Hopefully people get it figured out and everyone will benefit from that.”

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Like Gooch, Billy Horschel is also determined to make his first US Ryder Cup team at Bethpage Black in two years’ time.

But PGA Tour star Horschel will not give his bank account a second thought if he makes his debut against Europe in New York.

“You look at it from the European side – I’ve never heard a European Tour player saying we should be making money off of this and saying we’re not getting our fair share,” Horschel told bunkered.co.uk. “It’s frustrating that that has come up again, whether it’s true or not I don’t know.

“It’s one competition that we play all year and we play 20 plus events so I think the money aspect should be put to the side.

“I’ve not heard anybody complain about the Olympics and not being paid for that. Personally, I would never need to be paid to be in a competition like that.”

Ben Parsons joined bunkered as a Content Producer in 2023 and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.