Tiger Woods has say on Ryder Cup payment debate and why he hasn't competed since The Open

Tiger Woods reckons there is nothing wrong with US players being paid to compete in the Ryder Cup but only if they donate the money to charity.

Speaking in the Bahamas, where he is hosting but not playing in this week’s Hero World Challenge, the 15-time major winner also said he understands why European players feel they don’t need to be paid to be involved in the biennial contest.

According to a recent report, the Americans are set to get roughly $400,000 (roughly £315,000) to tee up in the 2025 contest at Bethpage Black in New York.

Responding to that, both Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry have said they don’t believe that should be the case, with McIlroy even admitting that he’d pay for the privilege to be involved in the match.

Woods, who has played in eight Ryder Cups and had been widely tipped to be the US captain for the 45th edition next year before saying he couldn’t commit to it due his PGA Tour policy board commitments, was asked about the money issue at a press conference at Albany Golf Club.

Tiger Woods smiles at a press conference in the Bahamas ahead of this week’s Hero World Challenge | Getty Images

“Well, I would have to say that going back to my playing days, we had the same conversation back in '99 and it was we didn't want to get paid, we wanted to give more money to charity, and the media turned it around against us and said we want to get paid. No, the Ryder Cup itself makes so much money, why can't we allocate it to various charities?

“And what's wrong with each player, 12 players getting a million dollars and the ability to divvy out to amazing charities that they're involved in that they can help out? It's their hometowns, where they're from, all the different junior golf associations or endeavors that the members are involved in.

“It's never really been about getting paid, it's how can we allocate funds to help our sport or help things that we believe in back home, because it's so hard to get onto that team, there's only 12 guys. What's wrong with being able to allocate more funds?”

Replying to being asked if it was down to an issue of messaging and that the players should make it clear that whatever money they might get is going to charity, the 15-time major winner added: “I hope they would get $5 million each and donate it all to charity, different charities. I think it's great. What's wrong with that?”

The Ryder Cup is run in the US by the PGA of America, not the PGA Tour, while in Europe it comes under the European Tour Group umbrella and the money raised from it helps fund both the DP World Tour and Challenge Tour.

Woods alluded to that difference when he was asked what he thought it said about the attitude of European players compared to that of the Americans when they talk about not needing to be paid for the privilege to be involved in golf’s greatest team tussle.

“That's fine, that's their right to say that,” said the 48-year-old. “I just think that the event is so big that I think that we can give so much money to different charities, and I've said that since '99 when we had the Brookline negotiations.

“If the Europeans want to pay to be in the Ryder Cup, that's their decision to do that, that's their team. I know when it's on European soil that it subsidises most of their Tour, so it is a big event for the European Tour (now called the DP World Tour) and if they want to pay to play in it, so be it.”

Woods is hosting the Hero World Challenge for the 25th time and, ahead of the ninth staging at this week’s venue, it was announced the Indian motorcycle and scooter manufacturer has extended its title sponsorship until 2030. Both Woods and Dr Pawan Munjal, Hero’s executive chairman, hailed that news before the host expressed his disappointment about not being able to take his place in a 20-man field that includes Scottish No 1 Bob MacIntyre for the first time.

“I'm not tournament sharp yet, no. I'm still not there,” he said. “These are 20 of the best players in the world and I'm not sharp enough to compete against them at this level. So when I'm ready to compete and play at this level, then I will.”

Tournament host Tiger Woods listens to Dr Pawan Munjal, executive xhairman of Hero MotoCorp, at Albany Golf Course in the Bahamas. | Getty Images

His plan for this year had been to play once a month, but his last appearance was in the 152nd Open at Royal Troon in July.

“I'm just trying to rehab and still get stronger and better and feel better, really give myself the best chance I can going into next year,” he added. “This year I wasn't as sharp as I needed to be and I didn't play as much as I needed to going into the major championships and I didn't play well at them. Hopefully next year will be better, I'll be physically stronger and better. I know the procedure helped and hopefully that I can then build upon that.”

In his role as a policy board member, Woods has been heavily involved in the ongoing talks between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and PIF chief Yasir Al-Rumayyan played together in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland in October, but it has all gone a bit quiet recently as the golfing world waits to hear what the game’s future landscape might look like.

“I think all of us who have been a part of this process would have thought it would have happened quicker than this,” admitted Woods. “Even if it did, we're still at the regulations of the DOJ (the US Department of Justice) saying that it will go through. Even if we had gotten a deal done by now, it's still in the DOJ's hands, but we wish we would have had something more concrete and further along than we are right now. But things are very fluid, we're still working through it, it's happening daily. From a policy board standpoint or from an enterprise standpoint, things are moving and they're constructive. But yes, definitely moving. I think something will get done. In what form or shape, I don't know yet.”