The Ryder Cup Prize Money: Do Players Get Paid at the Ultimate Patriotic Showdown?

From the majors to the FedEx Cup fall season events, the golf world has seen many tournaments that pit the players against each other for a title, trophy, and prize money. But nothing ever comes close to the Ryder Cup, which provides a stage for two nations to duke it out in a race for glory, honor, fame, and a love for their nation.

Meanwhile, being one of the most esteemed tournaments to ever take place in the game of golf raises the question as to whether respect and prestige are all that the event has to offer. Besides, one wouldn’t be able to help but ask whether the ultimate patriotic showdown offers any hefty payout for the efforts of the players. Curious, isn’t it?

Is there a prize pool for the Ryder Cup?

For every other event in the sport, the game of golf provides the winners with a lot of prize money and points in specific rankings. But for the ultimate patriotic showdown in men’s golf, the case is the opposite, as the 24 players, 12 on each team under Europe and the USA, are not awarded any official compensation with no prize pool at all for the competition. The same is also the case for the winning team.

Nevertheless, the tournament has become one of the most famous events in the history of golf. This has indubitably led to it raking in millions of dollars through television rights and sponsorships. Even so, the tournament is all about pride, as the winner gets to maintain the team’s possession over the coveted Ryder Cup trophy for two years until the contest is held once more. But then the question naturally arises: has this been the case throughout the history of the most anticipated event in the game’s history?

Has there been no money distribution in history of the event?

At the inception of the Ryder Cup in 1927, both team players were ‘compensated’, in a small manner, for playing in the biennial meet. The British golfers were given allowances for their travel, clothing, and equipment during the contest. This was the norm until 1983, when the skipper of the European team, Tony Jacklin, in his first appearance as a captain, introduced a new form of convention where the golfers received gifts instead of money.

While this has been the case for the American team’s rivals, things were different for the team in question. This led to a lot of frustration arising among the Team USA players at the infamous 33rd Ryder Cup in 1999, where they inquired about the money collected as part of the new profit from the event. The professionals were quite upset about not getting paid despite meeting countless commitments on their part during the week of the event.

Thus, the 1999 ‘Battle of Brookline’ saw another milestone other than the American team pushing past Europe, who entered the last day on a 10-6 lead, to win by a margin of 14.5–13.5. The former managed to convince the PGA of America to give each of the squad members $200,000 each. Meanwhile, the money would be split, with half of each person’s cash going to a charity of their choice while the rest was put aside for aspiring golfers. The share would be given to the Boys & Girls Club of America, the Drive, Chip, and Putt Championship, and PGA Junior League Golf.

The decision was reached after an intense discussion that even involved rumors of a boycott by the players. Although the claims were later played down in a quick fashion, the agreement allowed the US golfers to let their voices be heard on the donations.

Ryder Cup revenue split

The proceeds of the tournament that have been collected are split between the PGA of America and the DP World Tour. Whenever the tournament is played in the USA, the former owns the revenue rights and takes a majority of the returns (close to 85% of the profit), while the opposite is the case when the biennial event takes place in Europe, where the latter receives around 60%.

ALSO READ – ‘Commander in Cheat’: Former POTUS Donald Trump’s ‘Easy Work on the Greens’ Draws Outrageous Reactions From Golf World

The golf world has seen a lot of tournaments over the years, such as the Majors, the FedEx Cup, and many more, but none as prestigious as the Ryder Cup. The event would surely remain at the top, with the crème de la crème of the golfers duking it out against each other in exquisite fashion.

Watch This Story – Rory McIlroy joins Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson in golf’s history books