Following an agreement reached by the PGA of America, players who will compete for the US Ryder Cup team will receive compensation to participate.
This will be the first time in the 98-year history of the games that either side has been compensated to compete. Each of the twelve players will get $500,000 (£400,000), with $300,000 (£240,000) going to charity or charities that each team member has selected.
PGA of America accepted the package and stated that ‘no players asked to be compensated’. They stated: “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 US Ryder Cup points list will automatically qualify six players, and captain Keegan Bradley will select six wildcards.
Last year, Patrick Cantlay’s refusal to wear the American team cap at the match in Rome was reportedly a protest against the players’ lack of compensation for competing. Moreover, Rory McIlroy of Europe stated last month that he would pay to participate in the games, which will take place at Bethpage in New York.
Mcllroy admitted: “I personally would pay for the privilege to play in the Ryder Cup… 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.”
At the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome, where Europe prevailed, Cantlay’s cap stance caused local supporters to take off their headgear to mock the American. In the end, it resulted in a confrontation between McIlroy and Cantlay’s caddie Joe LaCava, who waved his cap near the Northern Irishman as he lined up a putt after his player had put in a long effort on the 18th hole in a match against Matt Fitzpatrick and the four-time major champion.
Source: BBC