KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP) — Americans are being paid to play in the Ryder Cup for the first time, and Xander Schauffele said Tuesday the plan is for them not to get a dime.
“I just see a lot of money going to charity and we’re going to put up with a lot of crap,” Schauffele said.
The PGA of America voted last month to give all 12 players and captain Keegan Bradley $300,000 to donate to a charity of their choice as well as a $200,000 stipend. Bradley immediately said he would donate all of his money to charity.
Bradley suggested that had always been his team’s plan, but that an announcement shouldn’t come until the September 2025 games, so he would have a better idea of who was on the team. The Daily Telegraph reported in November that Americans would receive $400,000, with no mention of a split between charity and a stipend.
“Our schedule was turned upside down when this report came out. Our plan was not for this to happen so quickly,” Bradley said. “We’re just trying to do the right thing. It’s ultimately a decision of the PGA of America. All we want to do is give back more and make more of an impact.”
The topic of pay-for-play was first raised in 1999 when David Duval, Tiger Woods and Mark O’Meara questioned why PGA Tour players had no influence over the revenue they produced for the PGA of America in a Ryder Cup that was quickly turning into one. of the biggest sources of income in golf.
The PGA of America agreed to donate $200,000 per player to charity, with half of that amount going to a PGA of America program and the other half to a charity of the player’s choosing.
This has become a topic outside of Rome again in 2023 based on an unsubstantiated report that Patrick Cantlay chose not to wear a hat to protest the fact that he was not paid. Cantlay said there was “not a shred of truth” and his teammates agreed.
“When it comes to the Ryder Cup, I’m completely focused on representing my country and winning points for my teammates,” Cantlay said Tuesday. “Right now, I’m completely focused on trying to make the team.”
Schauffele, the PGA and British Open champion, laughed when asked what his reaction was when he heard about the PGA of America’s decision to increase the charity to 300,000 $ and offer an additional $200,000 as a stipend.
“I see this as an opportunity to give more money,” he said. “It will never be seen that way, just with the way the media talks about things and how things have shaken up in Italy. It’s going to go to charity. I spoke to Keegan and he had a plan before, and it exploded by the leak of all that.
“Keegan had a plan to get all the boys to do something really cool,” he said. “And now everyone is pointing fingers at how this thing collapsed. Taking lessons from the PGA Tour, we’re going to give back to the community in whatever way we can help, whether it’s the Fire Department, the NYPD or otherwise. Keegan is from the North East and we will follow his example.
The matches will take place September 26-28 at Bethpage Black in New York, a public field known for having some of the loudest fans.
European players like Rory McIlroy have jumped on the controversy, saying the Ryder Cup means so much to them that they would happily pay to play in those matches. Europe has won eight of the last eleven victories, although its last victory on American soil dates back to 2012.
Schauffele said it would only make the Ryder Cup more intense.
“The way it’s all moving, it’s good for this great rivalry. And it’s going to be better for the Ryder Cup,” he said. “Every time there’s a feud, what happens? It energizes everything around. The Ryder Cup is going to do better because of this thing.”
“We are used to playing in these team events without being paid and happily giving our part,” he said. “It’s a really nice thing that we can do. We make a lot of money throughout the year, so we’re happy to donate money when we can.
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