By Frank Pingue
FARMINGDALE, New York (Reuters) -Scottie Scheffler and a number of his U.S. teammates weighed in on the Ryder Cup pay-for-play narrative on Tuesday at Bethpage Black, saying the money they receive for representing their country will be donated to charity.
For the first time, each member of the U.S. Ryder Cup team will receive a $200,000 stipend in addition to $300,000 that goes to charity. That total is up from the $200,000 that was designated only for charity and had been in place
since 1999.
The decision by the the PGA of America to pay U.S. players a stipend led to some backlash, especially since the European team are not being rewarded financially and were not even interested in any type of monetary arrangement.
But Scheffler said he and his wife have a deep passion for the city of Dallas and the organisations they support there, which is what he plans to do with the stipend.
"I've never been one to announce what we do. I don't like to give charitable dollars for some kind of recognition," said Scheffler. "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."
World number four Xander Schauffele said he takes great pride in representing his country in the Ryder Cup and plans to donate the money, something he said will make him feel good.
"You guys keep talking about it and trying to make it this negative thing. It's whatever everyone views it as," Schauffele said when asked if he felt American fans cared that the players were being paid this week.
"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."
The topic of player compensation came up during the Americans' 2023 Ryder Cup campaign in Rome, where Patrick Cantlay did not wear a Team USA hat in what some reports suggested was an act of protest.
Cantlay, who has insisted the hat issued in 2023 did not fit, also does not plan to keep any of the money given to him for playing this week.
"I think one of the great things about these team events for me is there's always such a big charitable component to it, and so I'm going to donate the money to my charity," said Cantlay.
U.S. captain Keegan Bradley on Monday defended the plan to pay his players at the Ryder Cup, arguing that the break from tradition would bring the competition into "today's age."
Bradley also said he would donate his stipend in addition to the money earmarked for charity.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue; Editing by Ken Ferris)
