When the Ryder Cup broke almost a century of tradition, it did not happen on the course, but what shook everyone was that it happened instead in its playbook. For the first time in Ryder Cup history, each U.S. player and the captain will receive $500,000 for participating in the 2025 matches at Bethpage Black. That amount is split into $200,000 they can spend as they choose, and $300,000 earmarked for charity. Europeans, however, will continue the old path: no direct payment.

Enter Dame Laura Davies , the legendary Solheim Cup stalwart and longtime voice of European golf, spoke with a mix of disbelief and frustration: “It just proves the difference between the attitudes,” she said, adding that while Americans are approaching the Ryder Cup “to do a job and they want to get paid for i

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