US players will get $200,000 stipend each for playing in Ryder Cup
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Players for the US team will be paid to play in the Ryder Cup for the first time under a new PGA of America program announced on Monday that gives them a $200,000 stipend and $300,000 for them to distribute to charity. The $500,000 directed to each of the 12 players and the captain is an increase from the $200,000 – strictly for charity – that began when the pay-for-play issue first arose in 1999 before the tournament at Brookline.
“We added the $200,000 stipend out of respect for the players ... so the players could have a say in where the money goes. It’s recognition for all the players have done for the Ryder Cup over the years,” Don Rea, the PGA of America president, said in a letter to past Ryder Cup captains, noting the stipend would be separate from players’ expenses.
The PGA of America board met in person last week and approved the payment scheme. The US captain, Keegan Bradley, says he will give his entire allocation to charity. “We’ve had so many meetings for a long time and it hasn’t gone up since 1999. We’re talking 25 years that it’s been at $200,000,” Rea told the Associated Press, adding that $500,000 “seemed like the right place to land.”.
He added: “Everyone is appreciative of what the players are doing for the Ryder Cup.”. The original deal in 1999 was $200,000 for each player, with half of that going to a college golf program and the other half to a charity of the player’s choice. For the Rome matches in 2023, the entire $200,000 went to whatever charity or foundation the players chose.
