Xander Schauffele leads fightback against ‘negativity’ at US Ryder Cup payments

The American team have hit back at suggestions being paid to play in the Ryder Cup implies the event means more to Europe.

This week’s match at Bethpage Black will see United States players receive a fee for appearing in the biennial contest for the first time.

The matter has been a thorny subject for a number of years but was resolved ahead of this edition with it being determined all 12 players plus the captain would be allocated 500,000 US dollars (£370,000).

Of that, 300,000 dollars is to be allocated to a charity of the individual’s choice – an increase on a previous charitable agreement – with 200,000 dollars to be used as they see fit.

European players, by contrast, are not paid and have not requested money, with team talisman Rory McIlroy even saying last year he would pay for the privilege of playing.

Some have interpreted that to mean the Europeans care more about the Ryder Cup but US team member Xander Schauffele is among those to disagree.

The two-time major winner, who has said he will donate his entire allocation to charity, said at a press conference: “You guys keep talking about it and trying to make it this negative thing – it’s whatever everyone views it as.

“I don’t think I’d be sitting up on this stage if I didn’t have a positive attitude, and I try to look at this in the most positive of lights as possible – an opportunity to do some good, which isn’t always the case.

“There’s a lot of pride that comes into playing in one of these, and yes, we’re happy to get paid for this, and yes, I plan on donating it. It’s something that selfishly will make me feel good about what I do.”

Team captain Keegan Bradley, who helped set up the payment model, also plans to donate 100 per cent to charity and world number one Scottie Scheffler has suggested he will do likewise.

Scheffler said: “My wife and I like to do a lot of stuff in our local community and I’ve never been one to announce what we do.

“We have something planned for the money that we’ll be receiving. I think it’s a really cool thing that the PGA of America has empowered us to do.”

Patrick Cantlay, whose failure to wear a team hat at the 2023 Ryder Cup led to suggestions he was protesting about a lack of payments, has also confirmed he will donate all to good causes.

It seems unlikely Europe will look to follow suit.

Captain Luke Donald told Sky Sports: “I talked to the 12 guys in Rome when it looked like the US were going to do something different with payments.

“Every one of them was like, ‘No we don’t want paying – this is not a week to get paid’.

“If you have those experiences that you remember for the rest of your life, that’s worth more than a couple of hundred thousand dollars in your back pocket. I was very proud of the guys.”