Luke Donald says Team Europe’s players take part in the Ryder Cup to enjoy ‘experiences that you remember for the rest of your life’.
Europe’s Ryder Cup captain faced the press in the build-up to the 2025 event which takes place at Bethpage Black in New York from September 26-29.
That build-up has this week been dominated by talk of the money Team USA players will receive for taking part in the much-anticipated tournament.
It was announced last year by the PGA of America that American players would receive $500,000 to represent their country at the 2025 Ryder Cup, with $300,000 donated to a charity of their choice and a $200,000 ‘stipend’ to spend how they wish.
Not concerned
Team USA skipper Keegan Bradley has defended the decision, saying to the media: “I’m not concerned about what Europe does or what they think.
“I’m concerned about what my team is doing. 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.”
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Ticket prices
Tickets for the 2025 Ryder Cup are sky high, with prices starting at $750 – including food and soft drinks – for each of the three days.
And Dame Laura Davies feels the payment plan could backfire if Team Europe, who won in Rome two years ago, get off to a good start against the Americans.
She told Sky Sports: “I don’t think they [American fans] will care unless they [Team USA] start losing.
“If they start losing, then they’ll start talking about how much you’re getting paid for this and this and the other. That could backfire.
“That would be the ultimate, wouldn’t it, if that actually backfired on them.
“I know not all of them [American players] want money but a few of them obviously did, otherwise it wouldn’t have happened.
“I don’t understand it [getting paid for the Ryder Cup]. It’s ludicrous, really!”
Pride and prestige
Donald, meanwhile, is proud of players for wanting to play in the Ryder Cup for the prestige and memories.
He told Sky Sports: “This [payment] came up and I wanted to get ahead of it and talk to the 12 guys in Rome when it looked like the US were going to do something different with payments.
“Every one of them was just like ‘we don’t want to get paid – this isn’t a week to get paid’. We have such a strong purpose in this team and what we play for.
“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. The ideals of how this Ryder Cup was set up back in the 1920s by Samuel Ryder and I think he would have been proud too.”
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