Payment packages approved by the PGA of America for United States Ryder Cup participants are set at $500,000, including a $200,000 stipend.
Approved in a vote and confirmed Monday, PGA of America also increased the amount awarded to a player’s charity of choice to $300,000 for the total of $500,000.
“We added the $200,000 stipend out of respect for the players so the players could have a say in where the money goes,” PGA of America president Don Rea said in a letter to previous Ryder Cup captains. “It’s recognition for all the players have done for the Ryder Cup over the years.”
Every player and team captain Keegan Bradley will receive a $200,000 stipend plus expenses starting at Bethpage in 2025, in addition to the charitable donation. Bradley said he is already committed to donating the full amount, stipend included, to charity.
The rule change has been on the table for months, Bradley acknowledged, and diverts from the rules established in the first Ryder Cup competition in 1927.
To date, European members are not paid for their participation in the Ryder Cup.
In Rome in 2023, the $200,000 per player on the United States roster went to charity. Players and captains for both teams were paid at the Presidents Cup in Montreal.
But captain Luke Donald and multiple players implied last month that European Ryder Cup golfers will not be paid, pointing to “passion” for golf and country.
“It’s one week where you play for more than yourself,” Donald told The Telegraph. “It’s … not about money or points, it’s about coming together as a team and the fans feed off that — it’s all passion. I don’t think we should ever get paid.”
Rory McIlroy said team Europe would not be impacted by the PGA of America payment vote. The DP World Tour represents the European players on Ryder Cup matters.
“I personally would pay for the privilege to play on the Ryder Cup,” McIlroy said in a BBC Sport interview last month. “The two purest forms of competition in our game right now are the Ryder Cup and the Olympics, and it’s partly because of that — the purity of no money being involved.”
McIlroy said he understands the “other side of it” because of the amount of money made on the event. He said Donald huddled players to discuss their stance after learning the direction American golfers were leaning. But McIlroy said the consensus for Team Europe was to donate the sum to the DP World Tour for other purposes.
“That $5 million would be better off spent elsewhere on the DP World Tour to support other events or even to support The Challenge Tour,” McIlroy said.
“I think we would all welcome money if it didn’t change the dynamic, but the money really would change the dynamic. That’s why I think everyone is like — let’s not do that.”
