The PGA of America is mulling a decision to pay members of the U.S. Ryder Cup team when the biennial competition is next played from Sept. 26-28, 2025 at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York, per the Telegraph. Members of Team USA are expected to receive $400,000, while those on the European side will continue to play for the love of the game.
The move to pay out $5 million to the American side comes following a heated 2023 contest between the teams at Marco Simone in Rome where talk of money reverberated through the grounds and played a role in what turned into a contentious back-and-forth between players on both teams. There were reports that Patrick Cantlay and other Americans were seeking payment for participation.
After needing to be separated from Joe LaCava, Cantlay's caddie, on the 18th green following a Saturday four-ball match, Rory McIlroy carried tension into the parking lot where he was seen screaming at U.S. members before he was ultimately forced into his courtesy car by teammate Shane Lowry to avoid any further escalation.
"They can do whatever they want," a European player told the Telegraph. "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."
Discussions of Ryder Cup payments are nothing new for the red, white and blue.
Tiger Woods, along with some of his teammates, was a firm proponent of receiving compensation for playing in the 1999 Ryder Cup. Instead, the PGA of America settled on donating $100,000 to charity in each player's name and another $100,000 to junior golf organizations. This practice has stayed in place since but could be on the way out depending on the PGA of America's final decision in the matter.
A final call is unlikely to be made until the PGA of America hires a new CEO.