Article produced with courtesy of BBC FiveLive "On the Line"
Will the greed of the players damage the grass roots of the sport? A fascinating
programme on Five Live broadcast by the BBC on Monday 16th July gave an insight
to the battle for power and money that threatens the future of the Ryder Cup.
The players want more money and the players are talking tough.
An in depth investigation by Steve Chisolm in a recent "On the Line"
programme broadcast on the BBC's FiveLive channel.
The Belfry in Sutton Coldfield is steeped in Ryder Cup history and it has been
the venue for some of the most dramatic moments in sport. Since Torrance's winning
putt in 1985 the Ryder Cup has become one of the most sought after prizes in world
sport. Custodians of Sam Ryder's trophy are the Professional Golfers Association
who subsidised the competition for fifty years to keep it alive. Just along from
the 18th green is the PGA's headquarters the base for their Chief Executive, Sandy
Jones who said "Sam Ryder gave us a remit, a trust to look after his gold
trophy in the playing of that match forever more and we are going to maintain
that position and when for seventy years the PGA were making losses there was
no debate from anybody to help us out with those losses. Now the Association is
making some profit, a profit which it has shared with the Tour then everyone is
thinking they should take a bit more of the share."
Jean Van der Velde
in action - Ryder Cup player in 1999
The future of the Ryder Cup is under threat because of the demands from Europe's
richest golfers for more money. In 1975, the Tournament players broke away from
the PGA, to set up the European Tour, an organisation to represent their interests
and maximise their earnings. Former Secretary of the PGA, Colin Snape explained,
"They took with them every tournament which could make them money. The Tour
decided to take all the plum assets in tournament playing terms, PGA championship
and so on and the Ryder Cup, well who wanted a loss leader? And that was left
with the PGA with no debate on it. There had been a Trust Fund set up by Sam Ryder
in 1927 at the start. All the information had been published in the PGA accounts
and there was never a question that it remained with the PGA."
After the European success in 1985 the Ryder Cup balance sheet started to move
from red to black and there was renewed interest from the European Tour. The profits
grew and interest intensified culminating in 1991 with the Tour players threatening
to boycott the competition unless they got half of the profits. The PGA had little
option but to grant them their 50% and an equal say in the running of the competition.
Now only ten years after the European Tour came for half of the money, they are
back for the rest.
Last year, 91 players on the European Tour walked away with in excess of £100,000.
Top money earner, Lee Westwood collected over £1.8 million. Paul Eales joined
the Tour in 1989. He's averaged annual career earnings of just over £75,000
and appreciates that the more cash the Tour generates, the more will filter down
to it's players. "We as the European Tour need a bigger piece of the pie
and obviously that's upset Sandy Jones and his colleagues at the PGA, of which
I am also a member. There's a nice piece of pie there and I am sure it needs to
be split up accordingly. The Ryder Cup itself maybe twenty years ago was almost
dead in the water when it was Great Britain and Ireland versus America. There
was no way you could field team of great British Pros that would match the might
of the Americans and of course the Europeans came into it and obviously you have
got your Seve's and your Langer's that join the team and made it an equal contest
and over the last few years the Europeans have just held the edge."
This is an argument which is common amongst the Tour players. Why should half
of the Ryder Cup profits go to the British PGA when the team comprises European
golfers? Thomas Bjorn, Sergio Garcia, Pierre Fulke, Jesper Parnevik, Jose Maria
Olazabal and Bernhard Langer are all in contention for places and that's a view
supported by number one British golfer, Lee Westwood "I think they feel that
their national PGA's and home foundations should be associated with it more, like
the Spanish Federation and the Swedish Federation, and I don't see any reason
why not. There are a lot of European players involved and I don't see why it should
be solely the British PGA"
Play during the 1993
Ryder Cup at the Brabazon Course
PGA insist that their work isn't restricted to the UK. In 1991 they instigated
the PGA of Europe to promote golf across the continent and increase training and
employment opportunities. For example, this year nearly 500 British professionals
are working in Germany making up half of the German PGA. Speaking on behalf on
the Swedish PGA, their Managing Director said "We have a very close relationship
with the British PGA and the first four PGA's, the British PGA, the French, Italian
and the Swedish PGA which started working to help the other PGA's to form their
educational systems. We have all contributed and also learnt a lot from other
countries and we are all helping each other to become stronger and stronger."
The European Tour need to increase their prize money to keep the top players.
Already they have lost Swedish star, Jesper Parnavik, Spaniard Sergio Garcia and
German legend Bernhard Langer to the American Tour where the prize money is much
greater. Talks between the Tour and the PGA to discuss the 50:50% split of the
Ryder Cup revenue are planned for after the Tournament in September. Once more
the players hold all the aces. Paul Eales wouldn't support a strike but some are
determined to increase their share no matter what it takes. "I'm sure one
or two are saying that at the moment but if you ask all the Ryder Cup players
that have played past and those that will play potential future Tournaments they
just want the Ryder Cup to go as it is and forget the politics. It's just one
of those things where you are sat day to day in the locker room and the guys are
talking and saying we should have it all because we do everything for the Ryder
Cup which is certainly the case but I think there does need to be a look at the
whole thing and maybe a 50:50 split isn't quite the option at the moment."
As former Tour Professional, Andrew Murray explains "Some of the continental
players could be in favour of a strike" "They could walk away. They
have no affinity to the PGA. The Thomas Bjorn's of the world don't give two hoots
to what happens to the PGA as long as they play in the Ryder Cup and the majority
of the money that they create from the Ryder Cup goes to causes that they believe
in. I think they have got to have some sort of say in where the money goes to"
"If the players did walk away, there would be support from America wouldn't
there?" "I think in a number of ways there would because this situation's
also happening in America. There is no love lost between the USGA who run the
Ryder Cup on behalf of America and the PGA Tour, what is effectively the Tour
of America. It wouldn't surprise me with all the acrimony that is around that
the players just say stuff it" "If you don't have the top players at
the Ryder Cup, you don't have a Ryder Cup"
Lee Westwood - "It's vital that you get your best players there and I
think that is the European Tour's argument and on the other hand, the PGA have
been associated with the Ryder Cup for a long time. I think it has to be divided
however they see fit between the PGA and the European Tour. The concept was helped
along by the PGA in the early days and now the European Tour put a lot of effort
in to promote the Ryder Cup and do a lot of the running of it and then whatever
is left can go to charity. I think that's a good idea. They give a lot to charity
in the States and I would like to see them do that here."
Paul Dermody - Chief
Executive of the DeVere Group
The Professional Golfer's Association administer the largely unseen side of
the sport. They look after the grass roots. The famous Belfry has hosted the Ryder
Cup three times at the PGA Training Academy. The new diploma course gives the
students a foundation in which to build a career in professional golf. Of course
there's an awful lot more to it than just playing golf. This year alone they plan
to invest half a million pounds in a training academy for young professionals
and a sports side unit for golf coaches. £73,000 was spent on National Golf
Week in April, an initiative with 500 centres across the UK giving those who might
like to try the sport the chance to experience it.
They also made a £75,000 donation to the Golf Union of Ireland to develop
coaching in Belfast. The PGA have even spent £25,000 on producing a video
for schools offering advice to anyone wanting to become a golf professional. For
the Professional Golfers Association half of their Ryder Cup revenue taken by
the elite would be disastrous for the grass roots.
Chief Executive Sandy Jones said "The PGA services the game at all levels
from the local municipal course and that's why we run National Golf Week for example
to try and encourage people to play the game. We also extend our influence outside
Europe and we now support the training programmes in South Africa for example
because we have got some English Golf Professionals down there and we provide
all the training materials. We have some in Argentina and other parts of the world
such as Cuba. It's not just Europe it's across the world. Those are the sorts
of investments we would have to look at cutting back on and that would be a tremendous
tragedy for the game generally if that had to happen"
In the past twenty years the Ryder Cup has moved from losing £50,000
to making estimated profits of 8 and 10 million pounds by the time this year's
match is completed and those figures will only rise. By 2009 it will be worth
£20,000,000. On the Line exclusively revealed how much the Ryder Cup Committee
demands. The figures are staggering. As the 2009 host each venue must pay a minimum
of £2,000,000 to a Ryder Cup Legacy Fund with payment to the PGA to encourage
growth of the game in that area.
On the Line reported that at least one of the bidders has offered more than
double that figure. £1,000,000 each year for the next ten years to the Ryder
Cup Committee for marketing golf tourism around Europe. The successful candidate
will have to stage five far less lucrative tournaments every year for fifteen
years. A European Tour Event, a Seniors Tour Event, a WPGA Ladies Tour Event,
a Mastercard Event for Club Professionals and the National PGA Championship.
Two of the National bidders put up between 8 and 10 million pounds to meet
this criteria. Scotland and Wales have refused to release the total value of their
bids and On the Line revealed that the English bidder, Slaley Hall in Northumberland
is worth in excess of £46,000,000. £22,500,000 of that is public money
from Sport England to promote golf in the North East and introduce children to
the sport. If the outlay is astonishing, then the return could be astronomical.
The English Bid Committee believe that £140,000,000 will come into the North
East if Slaley Hall was successful. But how much is the Ryder Cup worth to whichever
business secures the prize.
Paul Dermody, Chief Executive of the DeVere Group who own Slaley Hall as well
as the venue of this year's competition and three previous Ryder Cups, the Belfry
said "It is difficult to say. We haven't actually published a specific figure,
but let me say that it gives us the opportunity of spreading the De Vere brand
among a much greater audience than we would have been able to do had we not had
the Ryder Cup. I suppose to draw a parallel there, how much would that have cost
in terms of marketing and advertising, I would be talking many millions of pounds.
28 or 29 countries will be seeing the Ryder Cup and many millions of people."
It isn't surprising that the competition between the six courses bidding to
stage the 2009 event is fierce. The English bid is Slaley Hall in the North East,
Scotland have put forward established championship courses in Turnberry, the preferred
venue of Colin Montgomery, Gleneagles, Carnoustie and Loch Lomond. The Welsh bid
comes from Celtic Manor in Newport. The Celtic Manor stands at the gateway to
Wales in 1400 acres of panoramic parkland with views over the Severn Estuary and
the Usk Valley. All six will make a presentation to the Ryder Cup Committee during
the summer and the winner will be announced at the end of this year's competition
at the end of September.
The Tour appear to have already decided where they want it to go however. In
May their Executive Director Ken Schofield pre-judged the process by indicating
his support for the Welsh bid. Despite not one venue having made a pitch, Schofield
backed Celtic Manor in Newport owned by billionaire Terry Mathews. When the story
broke, the PGA's Sandy Jones, Schofield's friend for over twenty years was amazed
and appalled. "It took me by surprise at the time. We had a Ryder Cup Board
Meeting just the day previous to that and there had been no mention. I then subsequently
found out that the interviewer had called about an hour before the meeting and
Ken hadn't mentioned that, but that's Ken's judgement and he has to drive the
vehicle called the European Tour and the constituents there are two players who
are high earners and he has to satisfy their demands so he chose that that was
the right strategy for him. I am absolutely determined on this bid process that
every venue, every country who has indicated their support for the Ryder Cup will
have the full consideration."
When asked "Ken's backed Celtic Manor, What do you think his motivation
is for that?", Sandy Jones replied "To me, obviously somewhere in the
background is Terry Mathews and he has invested heavily in Celtic Manor and I
am sure he is supporting the Wales bid for the Ryder Cup and it has been very
impressively managed up until now. Maybe Ken has already made his mind up and
has enough information that Wales and Celtic Manor should be the winner. We haven't
been through the full process yet and until that happens I am certainly keeping
my powder totally dry and all my options open".
If you have ever crossed the M4 you will have seen the Celtic Manor resort
perched high overlooking the motorway. It's an unmissable complex, owned by Terry
Mathews, a local man who has made his fortune from telecommunications. Speaking
after last year's Wales Open, Mathews was full of praise for his course. "You
get some players who have never played here and they say it's one of the best
courses they have ever played. It's really something outstanding for me to hear.
Of course this particular golf course was designed for the Ryder Cup in any event
by Robert Trent Jones, probably no better golf course architect on the planet,
so it's good to hear that confirmation from some of the best players. It really
is a great course."
Despite Terry Mathews pride in his course, it is far from perfect. Seven new
holes will have to be built along the flat Usk Valley floor adjoining the complex
because the course is too hilly, and two current holes have to be re-designed.
Celtic Manor's Director of Golf, Jim McKenzie, "At the moment the golf course
is split into two pretty obvious geographical areas. There's the hillside and
the valley floor. It's felt that the last few holes climbing back up will be too
tough for players to play 36 holes and of course when the golf course was designed
back in the mid 90's they were talking of a crowd of 30,000 a day. The matches
of the Ryder Cup are now drawing about 45,000, so it's fair that the last five
or six holes could be improved on and we are making every effort to do so."
The real cost of appeasing the players and catering for the fans could be to
the environment. Standing on the hillside overlooking the site of the proposed
re-build gives an impressive sight. A buzzard hovers overhead as a fox appears
from the undergrowth. The area teems with wildlife. The river is named a special
area for conservation by the European Community.
Morgan Parry of the World Wildlife Fund for Nature "The otter in particular
is a protected species so the European designation is very precise. It looks at
the river system itself but of course the whole system of the river, the flood
planes, the tidal nature of the river is home to a host of different animals,
the otter is one of them and the dormouse is another. These are very important
species. The otter is coming back to South Wales and any development like this
will have a major impact on the population." This area around here is of
great archaeological interest as well. "Yes, that's the second area where
the local Archaeological Trust has expressed its concern. Carleon was one of the
three most important garrison towns in Roman times. There is a huge amount that
we don't know about this area, and the remains of which have yet to be found and
this development will have a huge impact on that. They will either be removed
or buried."
Andrew Pimblett lives in the shadow of the Celtic Manor resort. He loves the
natural habitat which surrounds his home. Andrew isn't against the Ryder Cup,
indeed he is full of praise for the Welsh Assembly in their attempts to attract
a world-class sporting event to Wales, but points out that they could be on the
verge of ruining the very habitat which makes the area such an attraction. "They
need to take half a million tons which is roughly equivalent to 50 times a twenty
storey block of flats out of the hillside and dump it on the flood plain here.
So for two years all you will see is complete obliteration. There will be no habitat
in this valley".
Andrew went on to say that "the proposal proposed a six metre road which
doesn't seem too wide and too obtrusive coming down the centre of the hill, but
it doesn't seem a sufficiently big road to sustain the amount of people coming
to watch the Ryder Cup." "We're talking 45,000 on the last days of the
Ryder Cup and they are planning to bring that amount of people on a shuttle service
down the side of this hill. It seems quite incredible to us and to be frank our
real fear is that the infrastructure required for this valley is going to mean
much bigger roads being built. We already have a 300 ft suspension bridge proposed.
There will be a park and ride. This really is just the beginning of our plans
for urbanisation of this valley."
Andrew Pimblett and the Usk Valley Defence Group are considering legal action
against Newport Borough Council for awarding planning permission to the Celtic
Manor re-development. The WWF and RSPB have both raised strong concerns. Lawyers
are examining whether the full environmental studies into the impact of the changes
have been satisfactorily carried out as directed by the EU.
In defence of the re-development Celtic Manor are keen to point out that they
will set aside 60 acres of land as wildlife habitat. Morgan Parry "They are
creating some wildlife habitat that wasn't there before but usually when this
happens it doesn't create a habitat anything like as valuable as what was there
before. In other words what they are going to do is that they are going to have
a damaging effect and wildlife habitat is going to be destroyed but they are going
to create something somewhere else where it doesn't affect their proposal"
So Ken Schofield's support of Celtic Manor appears premature. The course requires
massive re-development with the creation of seven new holes, two completely re-designed
holes and the construction of a new clubhouse. It could also encounter legal challenges.
As the animosity of the Tour and the PGA continues to grow the threat of a strike
by the big hitters has become something of a threat.
However, Sandy Jones of the PGA says before he goes against what Sam Ryder
would have wanted, he will scrap the competition. "The players have decided
that the Ryder Cup does not satisfy them anymore, does not satisfy their needs,
then this is a moment in time to look at the Ryder Cup Match and rather than prostitute
it in some sort of way by making it who writes the biggest cheque to play or give
all the money to the players. I know the American PGA went through an issue with
pay for play with the players, then perhaps if we reach that point where it is
a total impass then the only option open to the PGA is to say that this trophy
that we were made responsible for 70 years ago has now got to sit on the shelf
and be looked at in a museum and we will talk about the great glory days of the
matches, and sadly the players will go on and do something else. I understand
that, they won't suddenly dry up and not play any more but the Ryder Cup maybe
isn't played for any more."
Posturing then on both sides but what is certain is that the negotiations that
will follow this September's Ryder Cup will prove every bit as dramatic as anything
that has gone before.
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