The PGA of America has received a lot of criticism for their recent decision regarding their Ryder Cup nationals quad. Reports said that Keegan Bradley and the entire Team U.S. will receive $400,000 each for their participation in the tournament. Many believe that adding a monetary aspect to the Ryder Cup goes against the spirit of the tournament. Considered one of the purest forms of competition in the sport, the Ryder Cup has always been about the pride of fighting for your national team.

Many pros from around the world criticized the move, including Rory McIlroy of the opposing side who stated that playing the Ryder Cup should be a “privilege.” The 35-year-old also shared how the players should be the ones to pay for getting the opportunity to tee off in the tournament. Most of the people agreed with his opinion apart from one individual.

Hunter Mahan’s views on the situation

PGA Tour pro, Hunter Mahan’s comments on the ongoing controversy surrounding Team U.S were shared by @NUCLRGOLF on X. Having played the Ryder Cup thrice himself, he approved of the step taken by the PGA of America to financially reward the players for participating in the Ryder Cup. The former world no. 4 stated that the players should receive payments under “goods and services.”

The 6X PGA Tour winner, Mahan said, “It doesn’t need to be lot, I mean, it’s not millions of dollars or anything,” as he suggested how much compensation the players should receive. Trying to justify his statement, he further added, “I think when your goods and services are being used for someone else’s gain, you should be able to sort of recoup some of that money because they’re using you, right?”

While $400,000 may be a relatively large amount for “goods and services”, the 42-year-old pro didn’t debate on the specific amount. His comments received a lot of reactions from fans. Let’s see what they had to say.

Fans question the pro’s views

The post received a lot of negative reactions from fans as they clearly opposed the suggestions of Hunter Mahan. @benjamenpyle questioned Hunter Mahan’s relevance to the topic with sarcasm as he said, “The guys on the team are the best players in the world. They don’t need money. Pro golf is gone. The game of golf thankfully is still in tact.” @ylwgolf shared the difference in mentality between the European squad and Team U.S. as he stated, “Quite the contrast between US and European players on this issue. Everything is about money in the US. No wonder there are so many miserable and angry people.”

@fwc0622 completely dismissed Mahan’s opinion by saying, “Who tf cares about Hunter Mahan… Ryder Cup is not about money. Never has been. Never should be..” @trickyblue shared opinions from the perspective of fans as they said, “Instead of paying the players they should use those funds to make it affordable for fans.” @Ingemar4910 recapitulated Rory McIlroy‘s views on the topic as he said, “These have-been players should just listen to Rory. If you are good enough to be selected to be on this team, you don’t need the money. And it is an honour to be selected.”

It’s clear that the fans are not pleased that Hunter Mahan’s comments are receiving attention. It is a common belief that the Ryder Cup should be played for the privilege of representing your country instead of for financial gains for the players.