We knew this would be a story during Ryder Cup week and the pay debate has begun, with Keegan Bradley explaining why each member of Team USA is receiving $500,000 for the match.
The US captain's response was that charity dollars have been raised and that his players are going to do a lot of good with the extra money, which is a $300,000 charity donation, up from $200,000, as well as a new $200,000 stipend.
Bradley said it was a "personal decision" what each player does with the $200,000 stipend but did seem to hint that it was all being donated to charity or the players' foundations.
The Europeans have maintained that they do not want paying for teeing it up at Bethpage Black, with the general idea being that the Ryder Cup money helps to support the DP World Tour - a circuit that they all came through and have deep affection for.
Following captain Bradley's comments on why his side are being paid, Europe's skipper Luke Donald gave his side of the debate where he said his team told him that "this isn't a week to get paid."
"This came up and I wanted to get ahead of it, and talked to the 12 guys in Rome when it looked like the US were going to do something different with payments," Donald told Sky Sports in New York.
"Every one of them was like 'No we don't want to get paid, this isn't a week to get paid.'
"We have such strong purpose in this team and what we play for, and to be honest we reinvest some of that money back into the experience of these guys.
"I feel like if you have those experiences that you remember for the rest of your life, that's worth more than a couple hundred thousand dollars in the back of your pocket.
"For me, I was very proud of the guys. I think the ideals of how this Ryder Cup was set up back in the 20s by Samuel Ryder and I think he would have been proud too."
'This isn't a week to get paid' ❌Luke Donald says he's proud of his European team after they rejected the chance to be paid for playing in the Ryder Cup 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/0vxjA38mo6September 22, 2025
What Keegan Bradley said about Ryder Cup pay:
“Well, the PGA of America came to me, they wanted to bring the Ryder Cup into the present day. The charity dollars hadn't changed since 1999 and they asked me to sort of shepherd their way into making it into 2025," Bradley said on Monday.
“I think for everyone it's a personal decision. A lot of guys aren't comfortable sharing what they're going to do with their money, but we're going to donate.
“I was tasked with a job the PGA of America asked me to do, and this was what we decided. We wanted to bring the Ryder Cup into today's age, and we felt like this was the best way to do it. We copied a lot of what the Presidents Cup does.
“We did the best we could, and I think a lot of good is going to come from this. I think the players are going to do a lot of good with this money, and I think it's great.”
