Report: Ryder Cup expected to follow Presidents Cup in awarding players stipends
Presidents Cup captains and players are no longer mandated to make charitable donations with the money they receive for participating, according to a Golfweek report.
Instead, the report indicates, the 24 players, captains and assistant captains from this year’s matches at Royal Montreal and the 2022 Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow were each awarded $250,000 stipends, which could be used for any purpose. This is a shift from the previous model, which allowed players to earmark their portion of revenue, previously $150,000, to charities of their choice.
“As part of the Tour’s overall total compensation program, distributions for the Presidents Cup have been adjusted to reflect the changing landscape of charitable giving, allowing players and captains the flexibility to support their respective foundations or personal charitable priorities,” the Tour said in a statement to Golfweek.
As Golfweek further explains:
Prior to 2022, each player, captain and captain’s assistant received $150,000 to give to a charity/charities of their choice. Starting in 2022, players and captains receive $250,000 of which they are able to use as they see fit and are not required to disclose how or where they direct the funds. According to multiple members of Team USA, this decision was made to unburden the Tour from having to coordinate and reimburse all of the travel expenses for the support teams – coaches, trainers, family, etc. – and put the onus back on the player to make the arrangements out of their stipend.
At last year’s Ryder Cup in Rome, each participant received $200,000 that they could donate to charity. That number, Golfweek says, is expected to increase, either matching or exceeding the $250,000 mark, while also becoming a stipend for the 2025 matches at Bethpage Black.