Erhalten die Spieler beim Ryder Cup Preisgeld?

The Ryder Cup is unique in the world of professional sports because, unlike almost every other top-class tournament involving millions of dollars, there is no classic prize money for the participating players or the winning team. Golfers play here not for financial rewards, but for pure prestige, honor and the glory of having led their team and continent to victory. This special feature makes the Ryder Cup one of the most emotional and passionate competitions in golf.

Compensation instead of prize money at the Ryder Cup

Even though there is no “prize money” in the usual sense, the players on both teams receive a form of compensation, which is, however, different:

Team USA: The PGA of America, which hosts the Ryder Cup in the USA, has significantly increased the compensation for American players for the 2025 Ryder Cup. Each player on Team USA will now receive 500,000 US dollars. Of this amount, 300,000 US dollars are earmarked for charity, which the player can choose for themselves. The remaining 200,000 US dollars are paid directly to players as a so-called “scholarship.” This is a change from previous years when the entire amount of $200,000 (unchanged since 1999) was exclusively for charitable contributions. Although these 200,000 US dollars are now referred to as a “scholarship,” some players, such as Xander Schauffele and Captain Keegan Bradley, have already announced that they will also donate this share in full to charity. This change reflects a response to discussions about Ryder Cup wins and the role of players.

Team Europe: Team Europe players do not receive a direct cash reward for participating in the Ryder Cup. Instead, it is a long-standing tradition for the European captain to present each of his players with a special gift. This gift, funded by DP World Tour's Ryder Cup Development Trust, is intended to express appreciation for their achievements and contribution to the team. In the past, these were often high-quality and personalized gifts, such as Rolex watches presented by Captain Thomas Bjørn in 2018. Players like Rory McIlroy or Shane Lowry have repeatedly emphasized that they would be willing to even pay to participate in the Ryder Cup, as the honor and experience is priceless for them.

Ryder Cup income and charitable causes

The Ryder Cup is an extremely profitable event that generates significant revenue through media rights, sponsorship, ticketing, and merchandising. These profits are reinvested primarily in golf development by the hosting organizations, the PGA of America (if hosted in the USA) and the DP World Tour (if hosted in Europe).

A significant portion of the revenue goes to charitable initiatives and grassroots golf promotion. Donations from US players go to a variety of organizations, including those that support youth golf programs such as “Drive, Chip & Putt Championship” or “PGA Junior League Golf.” Among other things, the DP World Tour feeds its profits into a “Ryder Cup Development Trust” to support grassroots projects in Europe.

The debate about player compensation, particularly on the part of the USA, has repeatedly made headlines in the past. Yet the vast majority of players continue to stress that participating in the Ryder Cup is a privilege and the motivation to fight for their team and continent goes far beyond financial incentives.