Team US captain Keegan Bradley has hit back at suggestions that the Ryder Cup means to more to his European rivals amid fierce criticism of their demands to be paid to play.
The American golfers at Bethpage Black will each pocket around £400,000 ($500,000) for this week’s match, with £230,000 ($300,000) designated for charities of their choice and the remainder a stipend to be used as they see fit.
That move, which is a first in the history of the Cup, has drawn condemnation from figures on either side of the Atlantic, including former eight-time major winner Tom Watson, and European captain Luke Donald, who has made a regular play on the fact his players need no further incentive than wearing the shirt.
Donald has further claimed that the payment could prompt some New Yorkers to the turn on the US team if they begin to struggle once play commences on Friday.
But Bradley, who confirmed he is handing his full £400,000 ($500,000) to charity, insists the situation is not a poor reflection on his side, even though the lowest earner among their dozen men in 2025, Xander Schauffele, still pocketed £2.5million ($3.4m) in on-course prize money during an injury-hit season.
Asked if the optics were bad, Bradley said: ‘I don’t really get that, but I think the goal here was that the charity dollars hadn’t been raised in 25, 26 years, and that’s what we started out doing.
Team US captain Keegan Bradley has defended the decision to pay his American players
The American golfers at Bethpage Black will each pocket around £400,000 ($500,000)
‘These players are going to do the right thing and do a lot of really good with this money. You can say that, but I think that the players are really good people and are going to do a lot of good things.’
In defending his players over the claim that the Cup carries deeper resonance for the Europeans, Bradley added: ‘Well, I’m not concerned about what Europe does or what they think.
‘I’m concerned about what my team is doing. I was tasked with a job the PGA of America asked me to do, and this was what we decided.
‘We wanted to bring the Ryder Cup into today’s age, and we felt like this was the best way to do it. We did the best we could, and I think a lot of good is going to come from this. I think the players are going to do a lot of good with this money, and I think it’s great.’
With Friday’s opening day drawing closer, Bradley offered some clues to his pairings during Monday practice. Bryson DeChambeau was put in a fourball with Ben Griffin, with whom he spent the most time interacting, with Justin Thomas and Cameron Young in the same group.
World No 1 Scottie Scheffler played with Russell Henley, and is expected to be paired with him when the serious stuff starts, and their four was completed by JJ Spaun and Harris English.
The remaining quartet comprised Sam Burns, Patrick Cantlay, Schauffele and Collin Morikawa.
Donald’s side, who visited the course on Monday and Tuesday of last week, limited their activity to some putting practice in distinctive salmon pink shirts. It transpires that the sartorial choice was driven as a nod to the winning team of 1987, with Donald planning similar tributes to history with different color schemes on each day of the week.
There are some here who used the latter to suggest over-thinking is the curse of the modern captaincy.
