U.S. Ryder Cup Team To Be Paid for First Time: Here’s How Much They’ll Make

The members of the United States Ryder Cup team are set to be paid for the first time to the tune of £4 million, or roughly $5 million.

It will be the first time players will be paid to participate in the team event, which comes together biannually and pins the Americans against the Europeans in alternating venues.

The team as a whole will collect the sum, and each player will be paid roughly $400,000 or £315,000 each. It is set to be ratified at a board level, according to The Telegraph, which exclusively reported the massive news.

There are currently no plans for the Europeans to be paid for their appearance at the event.

The decision to pay players comes after the last Ryder Cup, played in Rome, had rumblings of controversy and protest from one of the Americans during the event. Patrick Cantlay appeared without his hat, which caused European media to speculate that tension was building in the U.S. locker room.

Cantlay’s hatless appearance was reportedly a protest about the lack of payment players received for playing in the event.

Patrick Cantlay pretending to tip his hat to the crowd is an instant classic. pic.twitter.com/GuNd9m01vC

— Alex Myers (@AlexMyers3) September 30, 2023

The Americans dispelled the rumors with a spirited effort to make it somewhat of a competition once again on Saturday, as Cantlay singlehandedly kept things alive, while his caddie Joe LaCava got into a well-publicized spat with Rory McIlroy, the unofficial captain for the Europeans.

Although the rumors of tension between the Americans were mostly shooed off as a form of print warfare, it seems there was some merit to the story, especially as the U.S. is set to be the only team to receive monetary gain for playing. The Europeans are content with “passion” and honor alone, according to the report.

One player said:

“They can do whatever they want. But we don’t want payments in our bank accounts, as it’ll be the thin end of the wedge and is not what the Ryder Cup is about. Let’s face it, a lot of the American players have been angling towards this for years, if not decades. If it does go ahead, then it will be interesting to see how the fans react at Bethpage, although they’ll probably announce it as just an extension of what already happens.”