The US Ryder Cuppers will be paid for the first time. Here is the new plan

After the report that American Ryder Cuppers will receive an additional fee for their services at the Ryder Cup – and the ensuing month of outrage – the PGA of America has finally spoken out: The truth.

The governing body and part-owner of the Ryder Cup announced on Monday that the amount awarded to each American player (and captain Keegan Bradley) will increase from its previous level. While previously each player received $200,000 to be given to charity, now it will be up to $500,000 in total – $300,000 of which will go to charity. The remaining $200,000 will be a payout that each player can do as they see fit. Players have played in the cup for decades without direct pay, but that has changed.

“The players and captains, past and present, are responsible for making the Ryder Cup the premier golf tournament and the most demanding event in international sports,” the PGA statement read. It also revealed that no player has requested compensation, but reminded viewers that this figure has not changed since it was introduced in 1999.

The past month has seen the title inspire high emotions on both sides of the Ryder Cup track. It mainly started on November 13, there The Telegraph it has been reported that American players may receive $400,000 to do with as they please. The PGA declined to comment on the report, but the European group did not hold back.

A number of European Group stalwarts – Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry – were playing in the Middle East on the DP World Tour when the report dropped, speaking separately but similarly. Message: We love the Ryder Cup so much, we would pay playing in it. Tiger Woods gave a practical answer, saying, “If Europeans want to pay to play in the Ryder Cup, that’s their decision.”

Woods also added – in a press conference two weeks ago – that the players have been calling for more money to be distributed to charities for years. Woods blamed the media for making it look like the players were asking for pay, concluding that he hoped the gifts would reach seven figures per player.

And while charitable funds will increase by 50%, the real newsmaker is the stipend. In the past, many players have suggested that even if the money doesn’t have to go to charity, players will probably donate money no matter what. Captain Bradley confirmed to the Associated Press that all of his $500,000 will go to the organization.

It made December an interesting month for the Ryder Cup, with nine months to go before the teams are finalized for Bethpage Black. Talk of compensation has been rampant on both sides of the Atlantic, with Bradley admitting he was “shocked” to see the details leaked. Just last week, Sports Illustrated reported that a dozen former American captains wrote a letter to the PGA of America criticizing the idea of ​​any money going directly to the players.