Xander Schauffele Snaps At Ryder Cup Pay Critics, Claims Americans Being Paid Will Make Event Better

Xander Schauffele has become one of the leading figures in the controversial debate about whether Ryder Cup players should be paid. Whether that’s fair isn’t a conversation worth having, because the fact remains that he and his good friend and teammate, Patrick Cantlay, have essentially become the mascots for the U.S. team to be paid for their efforts. 

The controversial debate came to a controversial conclusion in December when the PGA of America, the governing body of the Ryder Cup on the U.S. side, announced that members of the U.S. team would be paid starting in 2025 for the first time in the event’s 97-year history. 

The long-established $200,000 allocation given to American players to donate to a charity of their choice will increase to $500,000 in 2025. Players will now be required to give $300,000 to a charity, while the remaining $200,000 will be viewed as a “stipend,” which a player can use as they see fit.

While many prospective American Ryder Cup players have been relatively coy about the announcement, Schauffele elected to be candid, which was refreshing to see. The two-time major winner made it clear that he would be donating every penny to charity while also taking a slight shot at the media.

Xander Schauffele shares his honest take on American Ryder Cup players being paid this time around. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

“I’m looking at it as an opportunity to give away more money,” Schauffele said at The Sentry. “It’s going to go to charity. It’s never going to be perceived that way, just with how the media talks about stuff and how things shook down in Italy.”

“We’re used to playing in these team events and not getting paid and giving our portion away happily. It’s a really nice thing we can do. We make plenty of money throughout the year, so we’re happy to give money when we can.”

READ: Tiger Woods Makes Questionable Claim About Why American Ryder Cup Players Should Be Paid Millions

While Schauffele may only be one member of the 12-man U.S. team, the tone of his statement certainly suggests that he’s speaking for the entire team when he explains that all of the money will be going to charity.

Following the PGA of America’s decision to pay the American side, the topic immediately evolved into how it would serve as motivation for the European side given its players aren’t paid. Essentially, if the Europeans were to defeat the U.S. at Bethpage Black in New York in 2025 then it would be yet another feather in the cap of Team Europe, which has won five of the last seven Ryder Cups.

Schauffele offered up an interesting viewpoint about that idea claiming that the pay vs. non-pay angle only adds more juice to the event.

“The way the whole thing is shaking down, it’s good for this big rivalry and it’s going to be better for the Ryder Cup,” Schauffele said. “Whenever there’s a feud, what happens? It juices everything up around it. The Ryder Cup is going to do better because of this thing.”

He’s not wrong. The conversation about one team being paid and the other not receiving a dime will be talked to exhaustion from now until the conclusion of the event this fall. When it’s all said and done this time around, however, one side will receive more juice than ever before.