Americans will be paid to play in the Ryder Cup for the first time under a PGA of America program that gives each player a $200,000 stipend and $300,000 to distribute to charity.
The $500,000 directed to each of the 12 players and the captain is an increase from the $200,000 — strictly for charity — that began when the pay-for-play issue first arose in 1999 ahead of the Brookline matches.
The PGA of America board met in person last week and approved the payment scheme, announcing it on their social channels Monday morning.
“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 past Ryder Cup captains, noting the stipend would be separate from what players get for expenses. “It’s recognition for all the players have done for the Ryder Cup over the years.”
U.S. captain Keegan Bradley already said he will give his full allocation to charity. The $500,000 — 40% of it without stipulation where it goes — is roughly the equivalent of 10th place at the PGA Championship.
The PGA of America said no players asked to be compensated. It said the players and captain are responsible for the Ryder Cup becoming one of the top sporting events in the world.
“We’ve had so many meetings for a long time and it hasn’t gone up since 1999. We’re talking 25 years that it’s been at $200,000,” Rea said in a telephone interview, adding that $500,000 “seemed like the right place to land.”
“Everyone is appreciative of what the players are doing for the Ryder Cup.”
The original deal in 1999 was $200,000 for each player, with half of that going to a college golf program and the other half to a charity of the player’s choice. For the Rome matches in 2023, the entire $200,000 went to whatever charity or foundation the players chose.
Rea noted in his letter to past Ryder Cup captains that it was similar to what the PGA Tour does for the Presidents Cup.
“The players and captains, past and present, are responsible for the Ryder Cup becoming the most special competition in golf and one of the most in-demand events on the international sports scene,” the PGA said.
“… Golf is a long-established vehicle for good and it’s exciting to imagine the impact the members of the 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup team will deliver for worthy causes and communities across the country, including the many initiatives that support the growth of the game.”
The most recent pay-for-play topic already has become a talking point for next September’s matches at Bethpage Black, providing easy fodder to a European team that has won the cup 10 out of the last 14 times, including 2023 at Marco Simone.
“I personally would pay for the privilege to play on the Ryder Cup,” Rory McIlroy said in an interview with BBC Sport 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 … the purity of no money being involved.”
There are differences in Ryder Cup finances depending on where it is held. The European tour has a share in Ryder Cup Europe, and the tour would struggle to survive without profits from the matches when they are played in Europe.
The PGA of America operates the event in America. It pays 20% of the broadcast revenue to the PGA Tour — effectively serving as a release fee for using tour players — and that money goes into the tour’s general operating budget.
Kerry Haigh, the chief championships officer and interim CEO at the PGA of America, painted a picture of a changing landscape in sports.
“It’s been 25 years and now certainly is the time,” Haigh said. “There have been discussions over that time. We truly appreciate what every player and captain has done, all the money that was given to charity. Now is the time, which is why our board has made the decision for more money to charity as well as a stipend.”
He said the assistant captains also would get a smaller package than the 12 players and captain.
Tiger Woods said two weeks ago in the Bahamas the topic was the same as 1999, when he said players wanted more say in how the money was spent but it was portrayed as them wanting to be paid for playing.
“The Ryder Cup itself makes so much money,” Woods said. “Why can’t we allocate it to various charities? And what’s wrong with each player, 12 players getting a million dollars and the ability to divvy out to amazing charities that they’re involved in that they can help out?”