By Amy Tennery

FARMINGDALE, New York (Reuters) -Team USA captain Keegan Bradley defended a plan to pay U.S. players at the Ryder Cup on Monday, arguing that the break from tradition at Bethpage Black in New York would bring the competition into “today’s age.”

U.S. players will each get $500,000 – with $300,000 of that going to charity and the remaining $200,000 serving as a stipend – the PGA of America announced last year, an increase from the $200,000 that had been designated only for charity since 1999.

European Ryder Cup Team members do not get paid and Europe’s captain Luke Donald told members of the British media this week that the U.S. players risk having the home crowd turn on them over the issue of pay.

“If the U.S. players are getting paid a stipend, or whatever it is, and the

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