In the build-up to the 2025 Ryder Cup, plenty of attention was focused on the subject of players being paid (or not) for their part in the biennial golfing behemoth.
Confirmed in December 2024, the US team saw its charitable contribution raised from $200,000 to $300,000 each ahead of the Bethpage Black showdown, with a newly introduced $200,000 stipend included on top.
On the European side, Luke Donald's men opted to make no changes to where their share of Ryder Cup money goes, with the captain reiterating his team's belief that playing for pride and legacy is a worthwhile currency for a few days.
But what about the players' caddies? Well, as far as six-figure stipends go, nothing has changed as caddies have never been included in the payout.
In a normal week on tour, the consensus is that most bagmen will receive a weekly flat fee from their player on top of a possible bonus percentage which is usually worked out depending on where the golfer finishes in the tournament.
For example, if a player wins, the caddie might land 10% of the overall winner's check. If they finish in the top-10, it could be somewhere in the region of between 6%-8%.
Should a golfer make the cut but not populate the top end of the leaderboard, the looper may end up with a 4%-5% bonus.
Among the top players, this has led to some caddies - like Scottie Scheffler's assistant, Ted Scott or Rory McIlroy's looper, Harry Diamond - becoming multi-millionaires.
Scott could have banked more than $5 million in bonus money during 2024 alone, and he is on track surpass the $2.5 million mark in 2025 following another stellar year for the World No.1. Meanwhile, Diamond's bonus tally might not be too far behind.
But with no outright prize money to play for at the Ryder Cup, caddies have one source of potential revenue cut off without question. Then, it is up to the individual partnership as to whether the caddie is paid a fee for their services that week.
Regardless of what the pair decide, pro loopers do still receive some kind of payment in the form of a stipend to cover all of their expenses which were not originally paid for by either the PGA of America or Ryder Cup Europe.
This was confirmed by Jonathan Smart - current caddie to Cameron Tringale and the man who helped Danny Willett to win The Masters in 2016 - when speaking to Rick Shiels on his podcast back in October 2024.
Smart was asked whether caddies get paid at the Ryder Cup, to which he replied: "When I did the Ryder Cup, there's like a stipend. You get a fee for the week, like a wage, but it's not like a regular event. Everyone is just grateful to caddy and you get incredibly well looked after."
So, whether it is players or caddies, payment at the Ryder Cup is limited to stipends or charitable contributions only and everyone involved is quite simply delighted to be a part of the story.
