ROME — Each Ryder Cup is a masterclass of provincial mythmaking. It somehow convinces the credulous, that Europe’s team rooms are always free from friction and that American fans only behave in a bumbling manner. One of the Cup’s longest-lasting fables, the idea that the Cup exists on a patriotic level untainted by money, was exposed this week in Rome.
It’s not that some players feel they should get paid to play. This is neither a new or unpardonable position. Ryder Cup organizers rely on the proceeds of the event to run their operations in years between “home editions”. When you look beyond the individual players and Cups involved, it is clear that the Ryder Cup is the event that faces the greatest risk of radical change as a result of the money arms race that has ruined golf.
The Ryder Cup is a showcase for the greatest passion and drama in sport. This is the user experience. The Cup’s inner workings and the apparatus that surrounds it are under strain, and require a rethink more urgent than anything we will hear in the analysis following Team USA’s recent defeat.
The ownership structure is partly responsible for some of the problems. The DP World Tour owns the majority of Europe’s Cup, while a few regional PGA associations hold minor shares. The European circuit has no assets of comparable value to offer the new for-profit entity that it will create with the PGA Tour, and, pending negotiations, the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund. (plus other investors who do not abuse human rights as a side gig).
Despite its importance to its owners’ finances, the Ryder Cup remains commercially isolated. The business community complains about the limited opportunities and partnerships, which global sponsors are willing to pay a lot of money for. Some enterprising corporate cipher eventually will find a way to connect it with a larger commercial platform in order to increase profits. This platform would have to be built around the best players in the world. It is therefore ordained that the Ryder Cup will follow wherever the major tours move over the next few years.
This will mean major changes in what we know today.
The qualification system for Europe has changed more than Cher’s appearance, but the rationale behind each change has always been the same: accommodate stars who compete primarily in the U.S. and preserve a path to the team of guys who practice their craft at home. It is not only necessary, but also parochial to use the Ryder Cup as a way to reward loyalty towards the DP World Tour. The PGA Tour, on the other hand, has no ownership stake in the tour but it is the way players qualify. The systems are (mostly) working now. But what happens when top players commit to a lucrative schedule of global tournaments that is elevated above the American and European circuits one day? The Ryder Cup Qualification System will become obsolete.
It is time to consider a solution: switch from the points system to 12 captains’ picks. This move would have its critics, but also many benefits. This would allow skippers to make decisions based on compatibility and form, something impossible for automatic qualifiers. Skippers could also leave home anyone who is openly ambivalent to being in the tournament. This would restore the authority of captains and future U.S. presidents. Zach Johnson admitted that he was held hostage by the preferences made by automatic qualifiers.
Why not include the captaincy in the selection of the team? Former players tend to be myopic, and are deferential towards their peers. Why not choose a captain who isn’t from the golfing world? Somebody who is known for being able to bring out the best in the players. The captain can hit as many shots and as spectators. Playing status does not need to be considered. It should be a position reserved for players who have proven themselves to be high performers, and not those past their prime.
Despite all the nonsense about continent rivalries, in the modern era of the Ryder Cup, it has always been tour versus Tour, PGA versus Europe. Ballesteros and Faldo felt disrespected by Americans when they visited the U.S. This only made them more determined to take it out on the Yanks each two years. At least half the European team now lives in the U.S., and both Scandinavian stars this week – Viktor Hovland & Ludvig berg – spent their early years at U.S. college. As the boundaries between tours become blurred, so will the old animosity. The Ryder Cup’s heartbeat is not something that can be lost or compromised. It is the thousands of fans who make the Ryder Cup a spectacle, no matter which side of the Atlantic it is played on.
After the 44th matches, the concerns will be of a short-term nature: what went wrong, who was to blame, and what should be done. Even though these accusations may be entertaining for those who are watching, those of us that love the Ryder Cup have to understand that the challenges ahead will be even greater than beating Europe at home.
