Farmingdale, NY – Captain Keegan Bradley of the US Ryder Cup opposed the notion that the notion that Europe does not receive personal financial compensation means more for Europe as US teams are expected to be compensated for events by the US PGA.
“I really don’t get that,” Bradley said at a press conference Monday. “I think the goal here is that charity dollars have not been raised in 25 or 26 years and that’s what we started.”
Bradley said he approached him with the idea of the American PGA compensated the players and asked him to help him come up with the best approach. Last November, the PGA of America voted to give 12 players and Bradley $300,000 to donate to a charity of their choice and a $200,000 scholarship.
Bradley said he would donate all of his compensation to the charity.
“(PGA of America) wanted to bring the Ryder Cup to this day. Since 1999, the charity dollars have not changed,” Bradley said. “And they asked me to shepherd their way to make it in 2025.”
In December, US team member Xander Schauffele told The Associated Press that despite the new structure, the players are planning to not get a single dime.
“I think it’s a lot of money to go to charity. We take a lot of crap,” Schaufele told the Associated Press.
When Bradley was asked Monday if the rest of the team also donated the full amount to the charity, he was reluctant to elaborate.
“I think it’s a personal decision for everyone,” Bradley said. “Many people aren’t comfortable sharing what they’re trying to do with their money, but we donate. We don’t donate to charities to make public what we’re doing. These guys on our team are incredible people, and they do a lot of incredible things with charity dollars and their foundation.”
Earlier this week, European team captain Luke Donald was asked by the British media if the atmosphere at Bethpage Black would be sour given the context that American players are being paid.
“We all know how expensive ticket prices are and it’s going to be an expensive trip for a family of four,” Donald said. “If the US players are paying or whatever it is, if they’re not performing, New Yorkers can let them know about it.”
Donald, who captivated the Europeans in his 2023 victory in Rome, said when he was informed of potential US player compensation last year, he wanted to go further and contacted European players to ask for their ideas.
“Everyone said, ‘We didn’t even think about playing for the money for that event,” Donald said. “We have a big purpose. That’s really enough for us. … Hundreds of thousands of dollars for these people aren’t much money in the grand scheme of things.
“These weeks of the Ryder Cup, they are the best weeks, and they have a lot more to them.
When pushing different approaches between the two teams, Bradley reiterated Monday that he believes his players will “do the right thing.”
“I’m not worried about what Europe is doing or what they’re thinking. I’m worried about what my team is doing,” Bradley said. “I copied a lot of the Presidential Cup. I did everything I could. You can say (that makes more sense for Europe), but I think the players are really good people and they’re going to do a lot of good things.”
The event will start on Friday. The Europeans competed to become the first team to win the Ryder Cup in away soil as they did it at the Medina Country Club in 2012.