Being one of the best golfers in the world is a pretty lucrative gig. The winner’s share at the Masters? $2.07 million. The U.S. Open? Even more, at $2.25 million. The Open Championship, like the Masters, awards $2.07 million to the winner, and the PGA Championship doles out $2.16 million.
So, given those head-spinning sums, it stands to reason that the winners of the Ryder Cup should look forward to a hefty payout for their efforts, right?
Wrong.
The 24 players who get to suit up for Team USA and Team Europe actually aren’t entitled to any official compensation at all, even for the winning team.
As an exhibition event, the Ryder Cup is all about pride. The winning team gets to maintain possession of the coveted Ryder Cup trophy until the next time the event is played, and the winning members will have their names etched in history forever.
Though the Ryder Cup participants don’t receive appearance money, the PGA of America reportedly gives Team USA’s players $200,000 each to donate to charity. Half of that amount goes to youth-golf development programs selected by the PGA, while the other half is up to the player.
Since 1999, $28.6 million has been distributed to over 200 different charitable organizations in this way.
On the European side, players aren’t paid to participate, but they do traditionally receive gifts from the captain. Back in 2018, it was a personalized Rolex from captain Thomas Bjorn. Oh, and the Europeans won that year in pretty dominating fashion, so all things considered, not a bad haul!
