When the Ryder Cup broke almost a century of tradition, it did not happen on the course, but what shook everyone was that it happened instead in its playbook. For the first time in Ryder Cup history, each U.S. player and the captain will receive $500,000 for participating in the 2025 matches at Bethpage Black. That amount is split into $200,000 they can spend as they choose, and $300,000 earmarked for charity. Europeans, however, will continue the old path: no direct payment.

Enter Dame Laura Davies, the legendary Solheim Cup stalwart and longtime voice of European golf, spoke with a mix of disbelief and frustration: “It just proves the difference between the attitudes,” she said, adding that while Americans are approaching the Ryder Cup “to do a job and they want to get paid for it,” Europeans still see the event as something far bigger than a paycheck. Her words weren’t limited to criticism of the U.S. side; they carried a warning for women’s team golf, too. “I’d be disgusted” if the Solheim Cup ever followed the same path, she said. Honor, for Davies, lies not in compensation but in representation. It’s the kind of ethos she believes built the Solheim Cup and Ryder Cup culture, something she fears is at risk.

Davies doesn’t mince words. “They’re missing the point. They’re very wealthy people … if you’ve won a lot of prize money you’ve won a lot of tournaments.” Usual PGA Tour events have a prize money range between $500,000 and $2 million, and given the number of events the Tour holds, money should be the last worry for the established pro golfer.

On the U.S. side, the PGA of America defended the decision, claiming this recognition was overdue and that giving players more control over charity was a crucial part of the proposal. Other than Davies, Rory McIlroy has been one of the most vocal among Europeans: “I would pay for the privilege to play in the Ryder Cup,” he declared. Luke Donald, Europe’s captain, echoed that the competition should be driven by passion, not money, and even said that he believes the European side should never accept compensation.

Some U.S. players have suggested that they will donate their stipend portions, framing the money not as pay, but as a way to give back. But Davies remains skeptical. “(Patrick) Cantlay, and to a lesser extent [Xander Schauffele], they seem to be the ringleaders,” she said, wondering why players would put more weight on money when prestige and representation once sufficed.

Patrick Cantlay’s hat controversy at the 2023 Ryder Cup sparked a significant debate on whether players should be paid to participate in the Ryder Cup, similar to other tournaments. Cantlay had not worn his US team hat while on the course, which led to the belief that it was a protest from his side regarding payment to play. However, he refused of such a thoery and said that, “My thoughts on the Ryder Cup are really simple: I’m there to represent my country and I’m there to win points for my teammates and that’s it.” 

Some U.S. players, including Tiger Woods, have also advocated for charity-based stipends as a condition, acknowledging that the players help create this enormous commercial success. Davies, however, maintains that wealth and earnings should not overshadow the honor and pride of representing one’s country.

So, while Dame Laura Davies condemned the push for Ryder Cup payments as undermining tradition, the financial backdrop is difficult to ignore. The PGA of America does distribute 20 percent of the Ryder Cup media-rights revenue to the PGA Tour, a PGA of America spokesperson confirmed. That figure roughly sums up to around $11 million biannually, per Golf.com.

Moreover, the Ryder Cup generates hundreds of millions through TV rights, tickets, and sponsorships, with players’ performances and images driving much of that value without direct remuneration. In 2023 alone, GlobeData reported 47 broadcast deals and 34 sponsorship agreements, including global partners BMW and Rolex, with an estimated annual sponsorship value of $88.7 million.

Beyond the moral debate, there are practical questions: will this shift change how players prepare, how they view national team events, or how fans see them? Davies doesn’t believe the cause should be financial. She observed that $200,000, while not small in amount, is hardly transformative for someone already earning major purses. “That’s one half decent week on the PGA Tour,” she said. Meanwhile, European players like Shane Lowry have voiced that they “don’t care whether they get paid or not,” insisting that the privilege and history matter more.

As Bethpage Black looms, the controversy around payout provides more than just news; it challenges the identity of the Ryder Cup. And as Laura Davies voiced her outrage, Europe’s leaders doubled down on keeping the Ryder Cup proudly unpaid.

Team Europe’s reaction to the U.S.A. Team’s Ryder Cup payments

Luke Donald, Europe’s captain, has echoed McIlroy’s sentiments, emphasizing passion, tradition, and collective identity over financial reward. “It’s one week where you play for more than yourself,” Donald said, stressing that it’s “not about money or points … it’s about coming together as a team and the fans feed off that — it’s all passion.” Donald expressed that European players “do not need to be playing for money.” In his view, payments threaten the very essence of what the Ryder Cup has symbolized for decades.

Other European players have added their voices. Shane Lowry said that being selected for the Ryder Cup is already a reward enough. “I love the tournament, and I just want to be involved. I don’t care whether I get paid or not,” he told the Irish Independent. Tommy Fleetwood chimed in similarly, saying that regardless of the payout, he’d play anyway: “Pay me nothing or pay me £10 million to play in the Ryder Cup — I’m still going to play.” Also, Rory McIlroy remarked that the consensus among European players is that “$5 million would be better off spent elsewhere on the DP World Tour to support other events or even to support The Challenge Tour.”

At the core of Europe’s response lies a concern about what comes with monetary compensation: a shift in motivation, a dilution of honour, and possibly even fan perception. The repeated phrases are ‘purity,’ ‘privilege,’ ‘tradition,’ and ‘identity,’ not reward for appearances. Europe’s leaders seem united: they do not want financial incentives to creep in and rewrite what the Ryder Cup has stood for. Especially for them, the value is in representing the team, the fans, the countries, not in being paid to wear the jersey.