US Ryder Cup players to use prize money for charity
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and the U.S. team plan to direct Ryder Cup earnings to charitable causes as part of a modernization of the event's philanthropy.
The United States Ryder Cup team will receive $500,000 for each player to compete this week, with $300,000 of that amount already earmarked for charitable donations and the remaining $200,000 available to each player at their discretion, the PGA of America said. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler said he intends to use the money to help his Dallas-area community, and captain Keegan Bradley said the move would enable players to do meaningful philanthropy. All 12 American players, plus Bradley, are part of the program.
Since 1999, US Ryder Cup players had been given $200,000 to donate to charity, while European players did not receive any money. Bradley defended the change, saying the charity dollars hadn't changed since 1999 and they asked me to shepherd their way into making it into 2025. "We wanted to bring the Ryder Cup into today's age and we felt like this was the best way to do it. The players are going to do a lot of good with this money." Scheffler was the first of the US players to speak to the media, telling BBC Sport that while he had plans for the money, he would not be sharing them. "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," he said. "I don't like to give charitable dollars for some kind of recognition. 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. I have a deep passion for the city of Dallas, I have a deep passion for the organisations that we support at home, and I'm excited to be able to take this money and be able to do some good in our local community."
Scheffler, who is a four-time major winner, is playing in his third Ryder Cup this week. The donation program, backed by Bradley and built into the modern framework of the event, is intended to reflect a new era for Ryder Cup philanthropy and tie the competition to tangible community impact beyond the team’s performance on the course.