Rory McIlroy fires back at Ryder Cup money claims: 'None of us need $400k...'

Rory McIlroy has told BBC Sport that he would "pay to play" for the European Ryder Cup team before adding none of the 24 players who will be lining up at the 2025 Ryder Cup even need $400,000.

McIlroy, 35, was responding to a shock report from the Telegraph that claimed the PGA of America is set to dish out $400,000 for each player who competes on Keegan Bradley's 2025 United States Ryder Cup team at Bethpage Black in New York.

But according to those on the DP World Tour, there are no such plans for the 2025 European Ryder Cup team to follow suit with payments.

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Should the U.S. Ryder Cup players indeed receive money, it will mark the first time that has happened in the 97-year history of the Ryder Cup.

For McIlroy, who has represented Europe at the last seven Ryder Cup matches, he would even flip the script and pay himself to even compete on the European Ryder Cup team because it means that much to him. 

In the eyes of McIlroy, none of the 24 players who will be lining up at the 2025 Ryder Cup even need a hefty pay packet.

"I personally would pay for the privilege to play on the Ryder Cup," McIlroy told BBC Sport after racing into the early lead at the DP World Tour Championship on 5-under par alongside his European Ryder Cup teammate Tyrrell Hatton.

"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."

McIlroy added: "I don't think any of the 24 players on either team needs that $400,000. 

"Every two years, there are 104 weeks and 103 weeks you can play golf and get paid."

A Sky Sports report during the last Ryder Cup claimed Patrick Cantlay was not sporting a cap in protest at not being paid for his efforts.

Cantlay's team played down such talk. 

But European fans played on it throughout the week by waving their caps in the air every time Cantlay walked past them.

Cantlay somewhat got his own back on the Saturday when joining Wyndham Clark to defeat McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick on the 18th in their fourballs match.

His caddie Joe LaCava then sarcastically waved his cap in the air while walking around the 18th green, while irking McIlroy in the process.

Things then spilled over into the car park, but McIlroy and Europe would have the last laugh as they saw out a five-point victory on Sunday.

The only money players received at the last Ryder Cup was in the form of $200,000 charity donations.

But according to McIlroy, discussions were already unfolding about paying players at the 2023 Ryder Cup. 

"It was a discussion that was happening in Rome," McIlroy added.

"I can see the other side of the argument because the Ryder Cup does create a lot of revenue.

"It is one of the probably top five biggest sporting events in the world. So I get the argument that the talent should be or could be getting paid.

"But the Ryder Cup is so much more than that, especially to the Europeans and to this tour."

McIlroy then confirmed that players on Luke Donald's 2025 European Ryder Cup team would rather see money spent elsewhere on the DP World Tour.

"We have all had a conversation with Luke about it over the past few weeks because we obviously heard," said McIlroy.

"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."

He added: "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."

McIlroy's comments about payment at the Ryder Cup echo those of his teammate Shane Lowry.

Read what Lowry said here.

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