The 2023 Ryder Cup generated an impressive $262 million in economic activity, and the 2025 event is projected to bring in over $200 million for New York. Data from Substack shows that ticket sales alone can reach $146.4 million. While not all of this revenue goes directly to the PGA of America or Ryder Cup Europe, both still earn a significant share. Despite these massive numbers, the prize money for winning the Ryder Cup remains zero.

There’s no prize money awarded to individuals or the team winning at the Ryder Cup 2025. Samuel Ryder started this biennial event in 1927 without a prize pool. Instead, he covered expenses like travel, accommodation, and more. The tradition continues to this day.

It is never about the money in the Ryder Cup. The event historically emphasizes national pride over financial rewards. However, the PGA of America changed this in 1999. While there was still no prize pool, a charity donation of $200,000 was made in the name of all 12 members of the American team. The 2025 Ryder Cup brings another change.

Elite players like Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and others have demanded participation fees for several years. However, the ‘HatGate’ incident from Rome, where Patrick Cantlay reportedly didn’t wear a hat as a sign of protest, acted as a catalyst.

So, from 2025, the PGA of America has allocated a stipend of $500,000 for each of the 12 players. Of this, $300,000 will go as a donation to a charity of their choice. They can use the remaining $200,000 as they wish. This change in the pay structure has brought a lot of controversy.

Captain Keegan Bradley was part of this process. During the captains’ conference before the Ryder Cup, he said, “The PGA of America came to me. They wanted to bring the Ryder Cup into the present day. The charity dollars hadn’t changed since 1999, and they asked me to sort of shepherd their way into making it into 2025.”

Bradley supports this move. He says that a lot of good is going to come from this. Even Tiger Woods supports it by calling it a “move ahead in the right direction.”

On the other hand, the European team members are still rejecting any compensation. During an interview with Sky Sports, their captain, Luke Donald, was asked how proud he feels that the players only want to represent their continent. “Every one of them was like, we don’t want the pay. This isn’t a week to get paid,” Donald replied.

Donald has, time and again, taken subtle jabs at the American team around the new pay structure. During the conference, he said, “The Ryder Cup means so much to each and every one of us. It is unlike anything else in our sport…It is not about prize money or world ranking points. It’s about pride. It’s about representing your flag, your shirts, and the legacy you leave behind.”

Many US golf fans have alleged that the European team has double standards for this. The allegations stem from the tradition of gifting. The European team does not get any stipend or payment, but they get expensive gifts from their captains.

This year, Donald gave the players Rolexes, which are understood to have cost around £12,000 each, per The Telegraph. Besides the players, additional watches were available for their wives, girlfriends, and caddies as well.

While the pay controversy continues, there’s something more the winning team at Bethpage Black will receive. It’s the Ryder Cup trophy.

The Ryder Cup trophy has been the same since it was first created by Samuel Ryder in 1927. It carries the honor, pride, and legacy of a close to a decade-long competition. The cup, which symbolizes team victory and national pride, is handed over to the winning team.

Besides the trophy, players may also receive awards. For instance, the Nicklaus-Jacklin Award presented by Aon is given to the golfer who represents the spirit of the Ryder Cup. In 2023, Justin Rose received this award.

The Ryder Cup has always been about pride and honor. However, the stipend to the American players brings something new to this. With players receiving additional money for the first time, many of them have made plans about how they will spend it.

American golfers planning to make charity donations

A lot of American golfers from the 2025 Ryder Cup teams have revealed plans to donate the extra $200,000 they will receive for participation. Captain Keegan Bradley has announced that all his income from the Ryder Cup will go to charity. When asked if the team will follow suit, Keegan said, “I think for everyone, it’s a personal decision.”

Bradley shared this during the press conference, confirming that while players aren’t comfortable sharing what they will do, he plans to get all the boys to do something really nice.

The World No.1, Scottie Scheffler, said he plans to do something for his local community. When asked about his take on the money and how he plans to use it, Scottie gave a snarky response at the press conference.

“We have something planned for the money that we’ll be receiving. I think it’s a really cool thing that the PGA of America has empowered us to do. I have a deep passion for the city of Dallas, I have a deep passion for the organisations that we support at home, and I’m excited to be able to take this money and be able to do some good in our local community,” Scottie said.

Patrick Cantlay, who was at the center of this conversation back in Rome in 2023, also weighed in on it. He reflected that one of the best things about playing in team events is that they always have a charitable component to them. “I’m gonna donate the money to my charity,” he said when talking about spending his portion of the $500,000 stipend.

The Ryder Cup may not offer prize money to participants, but its value extends beyond financial rewards. Players are driven by legacy, pride, and honor in representing their country.