The European side dominated the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in September, a truly sensational comeback from the US team on Sunday notwithstanding.
Team Europe have now emerged victorious at the Ryder Cup in six of the last eight editions of the competition and an incredible 11 out of the last 15!
The harsh truth of the matter is that the European players simply want to win more than the American players do.
Shane Lowry said his putt at the Ryder Cup was more of a special moment than when he won The Open Championship at Royal Portrush in 2019.
We also have to put a lot of weight behind the fact that not one European player demanded payment for their participation at Bethpage Black, and they never have done in the history of the competition either.
Which four players do you choose?
Meanwhile, the US players were all paid $500,000 to play at the Ryder Cup, although it’s worth noting that $300,000 of that fee had to be given to charity.
The mere fact of the matter is that none of those 12 players on the US team needed that money.
Xander Schauffele was the lowest earner out of the 12 American Ryder Cup players, and he pocketed just under $4.9 million in on-course earnings in 2025.
It’s no surprise that the Europeans felt like they had a mental edge on the Americans before the first tee shot was struck.
What Michael Jordan told Rory McIlroy about American Ryder Cup payments
2025 Masters champion McIlroy has never been a fan of players receiving money to represent their country or continent at the Ryder Cup.
Back in 2024, McIlroy suggested any Ryder Cup payments should be used purely to strengthen the Tour, rather than bolstering players’ wallets.
The 36-year-old recently opened up on what American NBA legend Michael Jordan told him about the US players demanded payment to appear at the Ryder Cup, as quoted by the Irish Star.
The Northern Irishman said: “He sat with us from six until nine.
“We were talking about the issue of players being paid at the Ryder Cup and he told a story about the US basketball team, the Dream Team, at the Olympics in ‘92.
“‘Do you not think I could have got paid to play in the Olympics?‘ he said. ‘These people are missing the point of what it means.’
“He saw the long-term value of winning an Olympics, and said he ended up doing way better than if he had taken money there and then. And that’s pretty much how I see it.“
Jordan arguably had the most elite winning mentality in the history of all sports.
He’s spot on with his opinion on the Ryder Cup payments controversy as well.
How could the American players have been 100% committed to play if they asked to be compensated to be at Marco Simone in 2023 and Bethpage Black in 2025 in the first place?
Brandel Chamblee’s opinion on US Ryder Cup players demanding payment
Brandel Chamblee is certainly no shrinking violet when it comes to speaking his mind.
So it goes without saying that his opinion on the US players getting paid to play at Bethpage was a highly sought-after one.
If Tiger Woods is not the next US Ryder Cup captain, who should get the job for Adare Manor?
“No one’s asked me.”
Tiger Woods’ response when asked if he would be interested in the 2027 Ryder Cup captaincy
When asked to give his verdict on the matter, Chamblee responded in typically no-nonsense fashion.
He said: “The US gave us all a helluva show today and took what was inconceivable and made it look possible.
“But the reason I think they were so far behind after two days is that they were distracted by the negative response to them pushing to get paid to play in the Ryder Cup and I think that rallied Europe around the common bond of playing for pride and not profit.
“Furthermore the US didn’t have as good a plan for their foursomes teams as Europe and set the golf course up in a way that mitigated the strengths of Scottie Scheffler and a few of their other most important players.
“But you have to give so much credit to team Europe who consistently bend the laws of probability to their favor by paying attention to all the little things and building a vision for all the big things. They have now won half of the away Ryder Cups since 1987 and the US has won just one in that time span.“
That was a great point by Chamblee. The European team all played for the badge on their shirt while the American players did it for the dollar bills.
I know who I’d want in the trenches with me when the going gets tough!
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