Do golfers get paid at the Ryder Cup? The event's $0 prize money system explored

RYDER
Ryder Cup tournament (Image via Getty)

Ryder Cup is one of the most prestigious competitions in the world. However, unlike the Masters, US Open or the British Open, golfers do not receive huge amounts even after winning the tournament.

The Ryder Cup is a $0 purse competition and players are not entitled to any official payments. Golfers play for their pride and for their country.

Although players do not receive any payments at the Ryder Cup, they receive gifts from their team captain.

According to Golf.com, the PGA Tour of America gives their 12 team members $200K for donation. Players are entitled to give half of their payment to charity programs selected by the Tour while the other half is decided by the players.

European teams generally receive gifts from the captain. It's a tradition started by Tony Jacklin in 1983.

The biennial competition alternately takes place in Europe and the United States. The PGA Tour receives 80% of the revenue when the tournament takes place in the US, while the DP World Tour receives 60% of the revenue when it is held in Europe.


2023 Ryder Cup teams

Ryder Cup is a biennial golf tournament between team USA and the European team. It is alternatively held at the venue in the USA and Europe.

Team USA primarily consists of American players while the European team includes players from Austria, Denmark, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Spain and Sweden.

The Ryder Cup has 12 player teams. Six players from each team are auto-qualified while the other six are chosen by the captains.

The 2023 Ryder Cup is all set to take place in Rome, Italy from September 29 to October 1 at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Guidonia Montecelio.

This year Zach Johnson will be leading the American team while Luke Donald is the captain of the European team.

Ahead of this week's Irish Open, Luke Donald opened up about the European Ryder Cup team commenting:

“I think it’s a great opportunity for us to come together. Any time you can get the guys together and start thinking about pairings, you can start creating that unity in the team room, which is really, really important.”

Here is the European Ryder Cup team:

  • Rory McIlroy (European Point List)
  • Jon Rahm (European Point List)
  • Robert MacIntyre (European Point List)
  • Viktor Hovland (World Point List)
  • Tyrrell Hatton (World Point List)
  • Matt Fitzpatrick (World Point List)
  • Tommy Fleetwood (Captain's pick)
  • Sepp Straka (Captain's pick)
  • Justin Rose (Captain's pick)
  • Shane Lowry (Captain's pick)
  • Nicolai Højgaard (Captain's pick)
  • Ludwig Aberg (Captain's pick)

Here is the USA Ryder Cup team:

  • Scottie Scheffler (Automatic Qualification)
  • Brian Harman (Automatic Qualification)
  • Wyndham Clark (Automatic Qualification)
  • Patrick Cantlay (Automatic Qualification)
  • Max Homa (Automatic Qualification)
  • Xander Schauffele (Automatic Qualification)
  • Sam Burns (Captain's Pick)
  • Rickie Fowler (Captain's Pick)
  • Brooks Koepka (Captain's Pick)
  • Collin Morikawa (Captain's Pick)
  • Jordan Spieth (Captain's Pick)
  • Justin Thomas (Captain's Pick)

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