There may never have been a better time to be an elite professional golfer with the riches on offer, but the Ryder Cup taps into the purity at the heart of the sport with no prize money on offer
The golfers taking part in the Ryder Cup in Italy this weekend are among the best-paid athletes on the planet, with many of them raking in eight-figure sums from their results on the course in 2023, but they will not earn a penny for their efforts in Rome.
Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland and Rory McIlroy have all racked up more than $13million (£10.7m) in earnings on the course in just PGA Tour events this year, but this weekend is not about money in the slightest.
Instead, the prize on offer at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club as Europe hosts Team USA in the 44th edition of the event is the iconic trophy and the prestige of being a Ryder Cup winner.
Of course, there are likely to be sponsorship benefits down the line for players to have a starring role over the weekend. But players from both sides will receive no money for their contributions this week, despite the enormous commercial appeal of the tournament.
The European and American teams, instead, have different traditions to reward their players. Team USA players receive $200,000 (£163,000) from the PGA of America, but this money is to be donated to charitable causes.
Half of the money is donated to groups of each player’s choice, with the rest given to nominated charities selected by the PGA of America. In 2021, those charities included the Drive, Chip & Putt Championship, the PGA Junior Golf League and the Boys & Girls Club 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 that the Ryder Cup is so special that he would pay to play if required. He said: “This week is a lot of fun, so yeah, I think as long as it’s manageable for everybody on the team, as long as everybody on the team can, it’s OK everybody, yeah (I would pay to play). It means a lot to us, and I think it would be something that I would be willing to do.”
His countryman Sergio Garcia feels a similar way. The Spaniard is arguably Europe’s greatest-ever Ryder Cup player, but the LIV Golf rebel is not part of Luke Donald’s 12-man team in Italy. But the 2017 Masters Champion did make a last-ditch 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.
Watch the Greatest Rivalry in Golf as Europe and the USA once again go head to head in a weekend of unmissable Ryder Cup action. You can watch every drive and putt live exclusively on Sky Sports for just £15 extra a month.
