KAPALUA, Hawaii — Americans are getting paid to play in the Ryder Cup for the first time, and Xander Schauffele said Tuesday the plan is not to get a dime.
“I feel like it’s a lot of money going to the organization and we’re going to take a lot,” Schauffele said.
The PGA of America voted last month to award 12 players and captain Keegan Bradley $300,000 to donate to a charity of their choice and a $200,000 grant. Bradley immediately said that he will donate everything he owns to charity.
Bradley suggested that had always been his team’s plan, but an announcement wasn’t expected until the September 2025 games approached so he would have a better idea of who made the team. The Daily Telegraph reported in November that Americans would be paid $400,000 with no mention of a split between charities and grants.
“Our schedule was disrupted when that report came out. Our plan was not to rush this,” Bradley said. “We’re trying to do the right thing. This is ultimately the PGA of America’s decision. All we want to do is give back more and make more of an impact.”
The topic of pay-to-play first came up in 1999 when David Duval, Tiger Woods and Mark O’Meara questioned why PGA Tour players didn’t have the money they were generating for the PGA of America from the rapidly growing Ryder Cup. of golf’s biggest money sources.
The PGA of America agreed to $200,000 per player directed to charity, half of that to the PGA of America program and half to the player’s choice of charity.
It became a topic again outside Rome in 2023 based on an unsubstantiated report that Patrick Cantlay chose not to wear a hat to protest against being paid. Cantlay said there was “not an iota of truth” and his colleagues agreed with him.
“When it comes to the Ryder Cup, I’m completely focused on representing my country and winning points for my teammates,” Cantlay said on Tuesday. “Right now, I’m totally focused on trying to make the team.”
Schauffele, the reigning PGA and British Open champion, scoffed when asked what his reaction was to hearing about the PGA of America’s decision to increase the total amount for charity to $300,000 and give an additional $200,000 in grants.
“I see it as an opportunity to spend more money,” he said. “It’s not going to be looked at that way, the way the media is talking about things and how things moved in Italy. It’s going to go to charity. I spoke to Keegan and he had a plan beforehand, and that blew up the leak of everything.
“Keegan had a plan to get all the guys to do something really good. Now everyone is pointing out how messed up this thing is. By learning from the PGA Tour, we’re going to give back to the community but we can help. , whether it’s the Fire Department or the NYPD or whatever you call it Keegan he’s from the Northeast, and we’re going to lead.”
Matches are September 26-28 at Bethpage Black in New York, a public course with a reputation for some rowdy fans.
European players such as Rory McIlroy have joined the fray, saying the Ryder Cup means too much to them to pay for the pleasure of playing in these games. Europe has won eight of the last 11 times, although its last victory on US soil was in 2012.
Schauffele said it will make the Ryder Cup more intense.
“The way everything is moving, it’s good for this big tournament. And it will be better for the Ryder Cup,” he said. “Whenever there’s a rivalry, what happens? Everything around it is juiced. The Ryder Cup will do better because of this thing.
“We usually play in these club events and we don’t pay and we happily give our share. It’s a really nice thing to do. We make a lot of money all year, so we’re happy to give money if you can.”
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