There has perhaps never been a better time to become an elite professional golfer with the riches on offer, but the Ryder Cup exploits the purity at the heart of the sport without the prize money.
Golfers competing at the Ryder Cup in Italy this weekend are among the highest-paid athletes on the planet, with many earning eight-figure sums from their results on the course in 2023, but they won’t win a penny for their money. efforts in Rome.
Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland and Rory McIlroy have all earned more than $13m (£10.7m) in on-course winnings from PGA Tour events alone this year, but this weekend was anything but. must be about money.
Instead, the prize presented at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club when Europe hosted Team USA in the 44th edition of the event was the symbolic and prestigious trophy of being a Ryder Cup winner. .
Of course, there may be long-term sponsorship benefits for the players who star this weekend. But players from both camps will not receive any money for their contributions this week, despite the huge commercial appeal of the tournament.
However, European and American teams have different traditions in rewarding their players. Team USA players receive $200,000 (£163,000) from the PGA of America, but the money must be donated to charitable causes.
Half of the money goes to groups of each player’s choosing, with the remainder going to charities chosen by the PGA of America. In 2021, these charities include the Drive, Chip & Putt Championship, the PGA Junior Golf Tournament and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
Over the past 40 years, European players have typically received a gift from their captain, a tradition started by Tony Jacklin when first led the team. In 2018, Thomas Bjorn’s victorious team in Paris received personalised Rolex watches.
World number three Jon Rahm said this week’s Ryder Cup is so special that he would pay to play if necessary. He say:
“This week was fun, so yeah, I think as long as everyone in the group can manage it, as long as everyone in the group can do it, it’s okay (I’ll pay to play). It means is a lot for us and I think it would be something I’d be willing to do.”
His compatriot Sergio Garcia also shares the same feeling. The Spaniard is arguably Europe’s greatest Ryder Cup player, but the LIV Golf rebel is not part of Luke Donald’s 12-man squad in Italy. But the 2017 Masters champion has made one last attempt to be considered for selection.
He offered to pay up the £700,000 in fines required to rejoin the DP World Tour – a requirement for all European Ryder Cup players – after joining the Saudi Arabia-backed breakaway LIV tour, in a bid to make Donald’s team. Garcia’s attempt was unsuccessful, but is shows for all the riches available in modern golf, the Ryder Cup means something more.
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