Keegan Bradley Responds to Criticism of Compensation in the Ryder Cup
The U.S. Ryder Cup team captain, Keegan Bradley, has responded to criticism about the financial compensation that the American players will receive, in contrast to the European team, which will not receive personal remuneration.Bradley explained that the main goal is to increase donations to charities, something that hadn’t been updated in more than two decades. The PGA of America proposed this initiative and requested their collaboration to determine the best approach. Last November, the PGA of America voted to award the 12 players and Bradley a sum of $300,000 to donate to the charity of their choice, in addition to a $200,000 stipend. Bradley announced that he will donate his entire compensation to charities.I don’t really understand that.
Keegan Bradley
In December, Xander Schauffele, a member of the American team, stated that the plan was for the players not to receive any financial gain, despite the new structure. When Bradley was asked if the rest of the team would also donate their payments to charity, he was reluctant to give details.The PGA of America wanted to modernize the Ryder Cup. Charitable donations hadn’t changed since 1999. They asked me to guide the process to make this a reality in 2025.
Keegan Bradley
The European team captain, Luke Donald, was asked if the atmosphere at Bethpage Black could be affected due to the compensation of the American players. Donald, who led the Europeans to their 2023 victory in Rome, mentioned that, upon learning of the possible compensation for the American players last year, he contacted the European players to get their opinion.I think it’s a personal decision for everyone. Many don’t feel comfortable sharing what they will do with their money, but we are going to donate. I don’t make donations to publicize what we do. The guys on our team are incredible people and do many incredible things with charity money and with their foundations.
Keegan Bradley
Donald added that Ryder Cup weeks are the best and that they don’t need motivation or monetary rewards to give their best. Bradley reiterated that he trusts his players will “do the right thing” and that he is not worried about what the European team does or thinks. The event will begin on Friday. The Europeans are looking to be the first team to win the Ryder Cup on visiting soil since 2012.Everyone said: “We haven’t even considered playing for money in that event.” We have a great purpose, and that’s enough for us… A couple of hundred thousand dollars for these guys isn’t much money in the grand scheme of things.
Luke Donald
