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KAPALUA, Hawaii — Americans are getting 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 it as a whole lot of money going to charity and we’re going to take a lot of crap,” Schauffele said.
The PGA of America voted last month to give the 12 players and captain Keegan Bradley $300,000 to donate to a charity of their choice and a $200,000 stipend. Bradley immediately said he will donate all of his to charity.
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Bradley suggested that was always the plan for his team, but an announcement wasn’t expected until the September 2025 matches drew closer so he would have a better idea who made the team. The Daily Telegraph reported in November that Americans would be paid $400,000 with no mention of a split between charity and a stipend.
“Our timetable got screwed up when that report came out. Our plan wasn’t to have this happen so quick,” Bradley said. “We’re just trying to do the right thing. This is ultimately a PGA of America decision. All we want to do is give more back and make more of an impact.”
The pay-for-play topic first arose in 1999 when David Duval, Tiger Woods and Mark O’Meara questioned why PGA Tour players had no input on the revenue they produced for the PGA of America in a Ryder Cup that was fast growing into one of golf’s biggest revenue sources.
The PGA of America agreed to $200,000 per player directed to charity, half of that to a PGA of America program and half to the player’s choice of a 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 not being paid. Cantlay said there was “not a shred of truth” and his teammates concurred.
“When it comes to the Ryder Cup, I’m fully focused on representing my country and winning points for my teammates,” Cantlay said Tuesday. “Right now, I’m focused completely on trying to make the team.”
Schauffele, the reigning PGA and British Open champion, chuckled when asked what his reaction was when he heard of the PGA of America’s decision to raise the charity amount to $300,000 and offer an additional $200,000 as a stipend.
“I’m looking at it as an opportunity to give away more money,” he said. “It’s never going to be perceived that way, just with how the media talks about stuff and how things shook down in Italy. It’s going to go to charity. I spoke to Keegan and he had a plan before, and that got blown up by the leak of the whole thing.
“Keegan had a plan to get all the boys to do something really nice. And now everyone is pointing fingers on how this thing has shaken down. Learning from the PGA Tour, we’re going to give back to the community however we can help, whether it’s the Fire Department or NYPD or you name it. Keegan is from the Northeast, and we’ll take his lead.”
The matches are Sept. 26-28 at Bethpage Black in New York, a public course with a reputation of having some of the rowdiest fans.
European players like Rory McIlroy have jumped at the controversy, saying the Ryder Cup means so much to them they would gladly pay to play in the matches. Europe has won eight of the past 11 times, though its last victory on U.S. soil was in 2012.
Schauffele said it was only going to make the Ryder Cup more intense.
“The way the whole thing is shaking down, it’s good for this big rivalry. And it’s going to be better for the Ryder Cup,” he said. “Whenever there’s like a feud, what happens? It juices everything up around it. The Ryder Cup is going to do better because of this thing.
“We’re used to playing in these team events and not getting paid and giving our portion away happily. It’s a really nice thing we can do. We make plenty of money throughout the year, so we’re happy to give money when we can.”
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