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<\/p>\nThe Ryder Cup is one of the most prestigious tournaments in all of golf, but you won’t get rich playing in it. That’s because the 24 top-class competitors that make up the teams of the USA and Europe do not get paid a penny for taking part.<\/p>\n
Jon Rahm may have banked a cool \u00a32.6million for winning The Masters back in April, but even if he won every single match that he played in at Rome’s Marco Simone Golf & Country Club this weekend, he’ll still leave Italy without a penny more than he arrived with.<\/p>\n
Brooks Koepka is the only player from the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour to be playing in this year’s competition and given that the American can’t miss a cut and is guaranteed to get paid even if he finishes last every week on the breakaway tour, it’s a wonder that he was so motivated to make it into Zach Johnson’s team.<\/p>\n
But the Ryder Cup is not about earning millions, it is all about pride. To put it simply, it is the purest form of professional golf that there is.<\/p>\n
Since its inception in 1927 when the competition was contested between native Americans and Great Britain, no player has ever been paid for taking part. But that doesn’t mean they were out of pocket. With the event held in the USA, the British players were compensated by having their travel, clothing and equipment allowance subsidised.<\/p>\n
Things have changed somewhat in the modern era, however. In 1983 European captain Tony Jacklin introduced the custom of presenting gifts to his players which still exists today. When the Ryder Cup was last held on European soil in 2018, winning captain Thomas Bjorn presented each of his players with a special Rolex watch.<\/p>\n
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The tradition of Ryder Cup players playing for pride came seriously under threat for the first time in 1999 at Brookline. A group of rebel US players including Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, David Duval and Mark O’Meara led a play-for-pay revolt, demanding to know where the reported \u00a318.8 million profits from the tournament were going and why they were not getting a share.<\/p>\n
It caused a rift in the US team with veteran star Tom Lehman claiming that it had made the Americans look like “greedy, wimpy, whiny brats”.<\/p>\n
USA’s team captain Ben Crenshaw agreed. He said at the time: “All I can tell you is I’m from a different generation and the Ryder Cup means a lot to me. I’m probably upset because people aren’t as excited about it as I am. I hope that’s not the case.”<\/p>\n
Despite the uproar caused by Woods and his rebel group, it did force change from the PGA with regard to how the US team was compensated going forward. These days each player from the American team receives $200,000 dollars from the PGA tour but not for their own personal gain.<\/p>\n
Don’t miss… <\/strong> We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n Half of the payment is automatically divided between a selection of grassroots golf causes in the States while each player can choose a charity or noble cause of their own to receive the other $100,000.<\/p>\n As a result, the real incentive for Ryder Cup players is still the honour of representing the USA or Europe in the historic competition and for one team, the pride of winning the coveted trophy.<\/p>\n While that remains the case it will remain the purest version of the game that there is. No wonder the fans love it so much.<\/p>\n
Viktor Hovland makes incredible par four \u2018hole-in-one\u2019 during Ryder Cup practice[HOLE-IN-ONE] <\/strong>
Ryder Cup prize money – Europe and USA receive different compensation[EXPLAINED] <\/strong>
Ryder Cup star has ‘a chip on his shoulder’ after leaving rude fan red-faced[BUILD-UP] <\/strong><\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/71\/590x\/secondary\/4983836.jpg?r=1695979130243\")
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