Luke Donald suggests whether he ever thinks European players will be paid to play in the Ryder Cup

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The topic of Ryder Cup payments has dominated the headlines eight months out from the first ball being struck at Bethpage Black.

The PGA of America has confirmed that each player will receive $500,000 to compete against Luke Donald‘s side next September.

$300,000 of that sum will go to charity, and $200,000 will be labelled as a “stipend,” which means the recipients can effectively do as they please with it.

Captain Keegan Bradley has confirmed all of his $500,000 will go to charity. However, what the rest of Team USA will do remains to be seen.

Throughout the payment discourse, the Europeans have remained steadfast in their belief that Ryder Cup stars shouldn’t be paid. However, Donald anticipates a future where compensation will eventually be paid to both teams.

Luke Donald predicts what could happen to Ryder Cup payments

Speaking during a recent interview with journalist Dan Rapaport, Donald was quizzed on the PGA of America’s groundbreaking decision.

“I think if you understand where the money goes, and I’ve got to understand a little bit more from the DP World side. It goes to a lot of grassroots; the PGA of Great Britain gets a chunk of it, and the PGA of Europe gets a chunk of it. You’re putting it back into the game. It’s not like there’s a massive pool left over,” the Englishman said.

Donald admitted that, at some point, enough money would be left over to reward both teams. “Eventually, we will get there,” he added. “I think that the Ryder Cup is going to be to a point where it’s grown so much, then there’s a lot of leftover money, and then there’s a decision to be made: do the players get some compensation? I don’t think we are there right now, especially from our side.”

• READ MORE: The total career earnings of every leading American Ryder Cup player as payment confirmed for 2025 event at Bethpage

Golden PR opportunity emerges for Team USA ahead of Ryder Cup

Donald’s take on the current Ryder Cup payment saga is understandably very measured. There are nuances that the mainstream media won’t pick up, such as the money generated being ploughed into the grassroots of the game.

For Europeans, remaining unpaid and playing purely for passionate reasons feels like the smart move. For Rory McIlroy, the Ryder Cup is worth much more than an extra $200,000, which would be viewed as a pocket change to the Northern Irishman. Steering clear of the payment saga will make life a whole lot easier for Donald.

Bradley, on the other hand, has plenty to deal with. The 38-year-old will hope that his decision to donate his entire wage to charity will be emulated by his 12-man team. If the Americans publicly state that each payment will be donated in full, the current situation could become a massive PR victory.