The Ryder Cup? It's just slavery, insists American Mahan

Hot water: Mahan's comments could land him in trouble
13 April 2012

by DEREK LAWRENSON

American Hunter Mahan was at the eye of a storm this week after making the astonishing claim that playing in the Ryder Cup is tantamount to 'slavery'.

Mahan, who is on the cusp of making this year's U.S. side for the match in September, predicted top American players might eventually refuse to play in an event for which they are not paid.

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Hot water: Mahan's comments could land him in trouble

Hot water: Mahan's comments could land him in trouble

'At some point the players might say: "We're not doing this anymore because this is ridiculous",' he told an American golf magazine, admitting European players took the event more seriously.

'You've got dinners every night. Huge, massive dinners. As players, that's the last thing we want. You're just a slave for the week.'

Mahan was backpedalling furiously yesterday, telling Sportsmail: 'Oh man, I wish I could have that word slavery back. In fact, I wish I could clean up a lot of the article. There is a world of difference between the tone of how I feel about the Ryder Cup and how it appeared in the magazine.'

Mahan, 26, was contrite enough to accept that 'maybe I should have waited until I actually play in the event before saying such things'.

But he was adamant that for many of the senior American players 'all the fun has been sucked out of the Ryder Cup'.

He added: 'Playing on the President's Cup team last year was a lot of fun, but what I was hearing from the regulars is that isn't the case with the Ryder Cup. You're not in control of what you're doing and no player likes that.'

From what Mahan is saying, it looks like the PGA of America is on a collision course once more with the leading U.S. players. Nine years ago, Mark O'Meara, David Duval and Tiger Woods led a delegation that moaned so loud, so often about giving their services for free that the organisers agreed to pay $200,000 to each participant to donate to charity.

The central grievance remains, however, having to show up each evening at dinners where punters pay thousands of dollars each, with the money going to the PGA of America's already vast profits.

The festering sore is that no American player feels any great affiliation with the PGA of America. They play on the U.S. Tour, which is a completely separate organisation.

In Europe, the Ryder Cup is run by the European Tour and so it is in the financial interest of the players that the event continues to be a success.

Mahan said: 'I don't know if that is the bottom line why the Europeans feel more passionate about it, but it could be a factor. What is not in doubt is that they are more passionate.'

Mahan is 11th on the American list, with two big tournaments - this week's Bridgestone Invitational and next week's U.S. PGA Championship - to break into the top eight who qualify automatically. Captain Paul Azinger will then choose four wild cards.

As for the Europeans, the 10 automatic qualifiers will not be known until the end of August but this next fortnight is similarly pivotal, because of the huge amounts of prize money on offer.

All the key figures are here including four big names - Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Colin Montgomerie and Paul Casey - currently on the outside looking in.

Poulter said: 'We all know that doing the business over these two weeks means that the Ryder Cup takes care of itself. We're all desperate to be in the team, so this is the time for action.'

As you might imagine, the exuberant one can hardly wait to get to the first tee following his runner-up finish in the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.

He told a lovely story concerning that gutsy 15ft putt he holed on the 72nd hole, when it looked like it might win him the Claret Jug.

On the Monday before the event began, Poulter had stood for six solid hours practising just that length of putt. Indeed, he stood so long his footprints became a permanent feature on the practice putting green that week.

The following Sunday, he knocked in the putt, walked off the 18th green - and threw his shoes into the crowd.

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