LIV Golf caddie reveals whether he was paid a wage whilst working at the Ryder Cup

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A current LIV Golf caddie has shed light on whether caddies are paid whilst working at the Ryder Cup.

The 2023 event in Rome was shrouded in controversy after Patrick Cantlay refused to wear a hat, reportedly in protest for not being paid.

Ugly scenes ensued, and the American was criticised throughout the event. After the USA’s defeat, Rory McIlroy said Cantlay handled the abuse well.

Interestingly, Jonathan Smart—who works for Cameron Tringale on LIV Golf—has revealed that caddies are paid for their services during golf’s biggest event.

Jonathan Smart: Caddies are paid at the Ryder Cup

Speaking on the latest edition of the Rick Shiels Golf Show, Smart revealed caddies are paid a fee at the start of the week.

“Yeah, when I did the Ryder Cup, you got a fee for the week,” he said. “Like a wage for example. But not like a regular event. Everyone is just grateful.”

Ahead of the 2025 event at Bethpage Black, players will still go without a pay cheque, as has been the case throughout the Ryder Cup’s history.

Patrick Cantlay Ryder Cup incident explained

The real reason behind Cantlay’s protest remains somewhat of a mystery.

It’s believed the American took issue with the vast commercial gain made from sponsors and those connected to the Ryder Cup, while the players go unrewarded.

If a group of players decided to raise the issue, it would be rectified immediately. The Ryder Cup is nothing without the players, and the authorities would quickly change their stance and compensate the 24 representatives from Europe and the United States.

Daryl Evans, owner of a leading sports marketing agency, explained Cantlay’s thought process further during an interview with Bunkered.

“The injustice for him is not the fact he’s not getting paid; it’s that all these other executives are getting highly-inflated fees for being connected to the Ryder Cup. That’s more his problem,” Evans explained.

“The Ryder Cup is worth several million dollars in media valuation per player. I don’t think you’ll have one player that’s not generating at least $10 million for the week in media value, so I understand his point about not getting paid.”