"I would pay to play"- Rory McIlroy on US players getting $400,000 for being a part of the Ryder Cup

Rory McIlroy is set to make his eighth Ryder Cup appearance for team Europe next year at the legendary Bethpage Black course in Farmingdale, New York. As a prominent golfer on the European circuit, he has had his say on the latest reports concerning team USA and the PGA of America.

The Ryder Cup has been highly valued in the golf world as one of the purest forms of competition due to the absence of prize purses and paycheques. Earlier this week, a report from the Telegraph claimed that the PGA of America would hand each of its players a $400,000 cheque for competing in the event.

McIlroy was taken aback from the news and told the BBC that he would even pay to earn a spot on the European team. The Irishman said:

"I personally would pay for the privilege to play on the Ryder Cup. The two purest forms of competition in our game right now are the Ryder Cup and the Olympics, and it's partly because of that, the purity of no money being involved. I don't think any of the 24 players on either team needs that 400 grand. Every two years, there are 104 weeks and 103 weeks you can play golf and get paid."

The PGA Tour superstar revealed that team Europe did have a conversation with its captain Luke Donald regarding the money aspect of the tournament. Following heavy talks, it was decided that the money should be spent on promoting the game of golf instead of lining their own pockets.

While growing their bank accounts would be nice, McIlroy stated that the Ryder Cup's dynamic and integrity would change if money came into the picture. He expressed that it would no longer be about playing as a team to win the trophy.

McIlroy said (via Golf Magic):

"We have all had a conversation with Luke about it over the past few weeks because we obviously heard. The common consensus among us is that $5m would be better off spent elsewhere on the DP World Tour to support other events or even to support The Challenge Tour. I think we would all welcome money if it didn't change the dynamic but the money really would change the dynamic. That's why I think everyone is like, let's not do that."

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Rory McIlroy tied for second place at 2024 DP World Tour Championship

Rory McIlroy is tied for second place at the 2024 DP World Tour Championship with LIV Golf's Tyrrell Hatton with a total score of eight-under par through 36 holes. They sit just one stroke behind Frenchman Antoine Rozner, who fired a seven-under par round to take the lead.

McIlroy started the event with a five-under par round at the Jumeirah Golf Estates Earth Course in Dubai. His scorecard for the day included eleven pars, six birdies, and one bogey on the par four fifth hole.

The second round of the DP World Tour Championship saw him get off to a good start with three birdies in the first four holes. He later went on to make two more birdies on holes seven and eighteen to combat bogeys on the eighth and tenth holes.

McIlroy will tee off in the penultimate round of the tournament with Rozner at 12:35 PM local time on Saturday.