Team Europe were quite simply too good for the United States Ryder Cup team at Bethpage Black in September.

Keegan Bradley captained the US Ryder Cup team to a convincing defeat at Bethpage Black, despite an impressive Sunday singles charge from the home side.

Things got off to a terrible start for the American team on Friday and Saturday as Luke Donald’s team cruised to a huge lead, with the PGA of America drawing real criticism from the US fans.

Their decision to name Bradley as captain was a bizarre one, considering the fact that he was still in his prime playing years when selected.

PGA of America chief Don Rea was put under the microscope after fan behavior at the Ryder Cup turned ‘nasty’.

Rea gave the European Ryder Cup team a weak apology, playing down some of the disgusting chants aimed at the likes of Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry.

And with the PGA of America under fire for the way that they ran the Ryder Cup in general, there have been calls for big changes to be made.

PGA of America told to sell the Ryder Cup to the PGA Tour

The PGA Tour currently hold a 10% stake in the television rights contract for the Ryder Cup (Sports Illustrated).

However, Gary Williams urged the PGA Tour to go the whole hog by buying the Ryder Cup ownership as an entity from the PGA of America, when speaking on The 5 Clubs Podcast.

He said: “People who are saying give him another shot, not now! Let him try to make another team and take away the burden of trying to do both because he knows he’s not going to do both.

“I’ve felt this way for a while and it wasn’t really because of Bethpage, but Bethpage influenced my feelings about it modestly.

“I think the PGA of America should consider examining whether they should sell the property. Not because they haven’t done a good job, but I think they should examine selling it to the PGA Tour.

“The PGA Tour is open for business, they are for profit, they have private equity investment. If you’re the PGA of America, if it’s top of market, you could fortify your organization for decades.

“You hold onto your major and you maintain an equity position in the property itself and you allow the PGA Tour to have ownership of it the way the European Tour does (DP World Tour).

“And you alleviate the dynamic that currently exists where Europe knows they are playing essentially for the lifeblood of that Tour that they’re all a product of. That doesn’t exist on the PGA Tour, they don’t need the Ryder Cup to exist the way that the DP World does. I honestly think they should consider selling it, I really do.“

What Jim Furyk said about the PGA Tour potentially buying the Ryder Cup

Jim Furyk was asked earlier this month whether he thinks the United States would be better off with the PGA Tour running the Ryder Cup, rather than the PGA of America.

He said: “That’s an interesting question. I won’t say I’ve never heard it come up in the past.

“The PGA Tour players are playing in the event. You look at, you know, the Presidents Cup’s a massive event, it’s a huge event, but I would say if you think PGA Tour and flagship, you think Players, right?

“They would love for that to be a major championship, The Players. And right behind that you’ve got the Presidents Cup from the PGA Tour side.

“PGA of America, I know the PGA Championship is a big deal to them. But the Ryder Cup is their flagship, it’s their A-1. It runs their pro-ams for four years.

“They do get some profit sharing I believe when we go to Europe because there’s global partners now, but every four years that’s a big deal and that runs their programmes for four years.

“I don’t know if I could comment on the business side of that, how that would come together. I think if there was a way that it could benefit both organizations, I think yes, that could happen.

“I’m not sure if that’s possible and I’m not smart enough to tell you how that would work out. I’ll never say never, put it that way. LIV Tour taught me never say never, but… I’m trying to be funny there.”

The Ryder Cup is one of the PGA of America’s two most prized assets, alongside the PGA Championship of course.

But Williams was right in his suggestion that they could secure their long-term future as an organization by selling the rights to the Ryder Cup to the PGA Tour.

Would the PGA Tour really make that much of a difference regarding the outcomes of future Ryder Cups, though? That is extremely debatable.