[12shoc]

I agree Sligo, if the players do not wan't to give back to the game that has given them so much then they shouldn't play.

All of the players, both European and US, are multi-millionaires. To qualify for their respective teams they must simply because of the prize money they must have won.

As such they do not need the money and I wonder why they should ask for it.

Yes they have their images and their participation adds to the spectacle. It wouldn't be the same if we didn't have Mickelson, Garcia, Harrington and Woods playing. If the Ryder Cup was played between two teams of random players from each side of the pond, would we watch it as avidly.

So the players could say that they add to the event and so shouldbenefit from that, but as Sligo says, they gain that in sponsorships and endorsements etc.

All money that is generated through the Ryder Cup should go back into the game.

If the US Team started thinking that way, they might actually put in a better performance. They might actually start playing as a team because they'll think to themselves "I'm here because I want to be here."

I can't help but think of Chris Riley when I think of the poor attitude to the Ryder Cup on the part of some US Team Members. In 2004 Woods finally go some points on the board after playing with Riley on Saturday morning. When asked by Irwin to play in the afternoon he cried off saying he wanted to be with his family. He'd just spent the whole previous day with them and the event is only 3 days long. A poor attitude lead to a poor result.