Mammon screams loudest as Ryder Cup runneth over

THE caddies are driving Cadillacs. Tiger’s in a tux and - could it be? - spike-haired Ian Poulter is, too.

Corporate millionaires watch golfing millionaires from chalets costing more to rent for six days than they normally would to buy.

Everywhere in the Ryder Cup, there’s money - piles of it; from the black-tie, pink-gown gala that cost a half-million dollars to Thursday’s opening ceremonies with A-list celebrities, the Ryder Cup screams expensive.

Fancy, too, for guys whose fashion sense rarely extends beyond the colour of their golf shirts, and ties are seen only on the scoreboard.

“That would be like going to four weddings in one week,” Stewart Cink said on Thursday of the pre-Ryder Cup majesty. “There’s no other week that I have to wear a tie so much.” The tickets are expensive, up to $6,000 for three days of golf watching. The gifts are expensive; European captain Bernhard Langer bought an engraved Rolex watch for each of his 12 players.

Even the souvenirs are expensive - the always-crowded merchandise tent is as large as a circus tent, a three-ring souvenir show for spendthrifts.

All this money winds up somewhere and, for a change, a large share doesn’t go into the players’ pockets. The Ryder Cup is a gratis event, as the competitors play for love of game and love of country. (And, of course, the love of endorsements that can follow a Cup victory.) The PGA loves the Ryder Cup, too, and not just because the biennial US vs Europe competition has become, as Davis Love III said, “The Olympics of golf,’ with all the accompanying flag-waving jingoism.

All this red, white and blue translates into green, with the PGA reaping an estimated $65m to $70m in revenues from 38,000 daily tickets, sponsorships, luxury seating and TV rights. By comparison, the US Open reaps about $50m and the Masters about $45m, though both must pay purses.

Mark O’Meara and Tiger Woods spoke up loudly in 1999 about the PGA’s windfall, wondering why more money didn’t trickle down to those most responsible for the event’s enormous growth. Woods called it “pros on parade”. Later that year, a chastened PGA agreed to give team members $200,000 each to split between golf development programs at their colleges and charities of their choice.

There’s still plenty of money left over, as evidenced by the finery worn by the golfers and their wives/girl friends/fiancees at Wednesday’s gala at the Fox Theatre.

A four-course dinner was served - $575 for the privilege, greens fees not included. The 24 golfers were shrouded by curtains dropped only after a big buildup and a highlight video.

All very fitting for an event where the caddies’ courtesy cars are better than the Buicks usually given the pros at most PGA Tour stops.

“It’s probably the first time, since the last Ryder Cup, that I got to dress up three days in a row,” David Toms said. “It’s like going to church for three straight days, but it’s fun. The wives have a good time putting on their gowns and dresses.”

There was plenty of pomp and circumstance during the opening ceremonies. The ceremony once was short and informal but, on Thursday, was jazzed up with loud music, a burst of colourful streamers and appearances by an eclectic group of celebrities.

There were nearly as many celebs on Thursday as there were spectators not all that long ago, back in the day when the Ryder Cup was a low-key, low-pressure event, with good manners and sportsmanship meaning almost as much as the good golf.

Funny how money has a way of changing everything, even if some don’t yearn for the old days.

“It’s fantastic to see where this event has gone, especially in the last 20 years,’ Langer said. “It’s unbelievable. These matches are watched all over the world, it doesn’t matter where you go on the globe. It’s just a wonderful match to watch.”

If you’ve got the money.