Ryder Cup Prize Money and Purse: You need to Know
The Ryder Cup is a great spectacle which many golf fans across the globe would want to follow and view fully. It is also a significant event where the golfers will achieve a prestigious achievement when their team wins.
Besides marking their names in golf history, the trophy, the participants will also receive the prize money. Earlier, it did not come with good money. But after TV rights came in the 1970s, the players in the Ryder competition started making an incredible amount of money.
How much money do the winners get? You will find the answer right here, right now.
The Prize for Ryder Cup winners
For the Ryder Cup, there is no official prize money for the winners of this prestigious event. The money that is earned through the tournament is for charity.
The officials will distribute the money to charitable organizations. So, the players have made significant contributions to the communities over the Ryder Cup history.
For instance, the officials confirmed that the 2018 US Ryder Cup team had sent $2.85 million to the community.
Since 1999, the Ryder Cup US team has contributed around $25.8 million. The responsible officials send the funds to 200++ charitable organizations for charity purposes.
Although the charitable organizations receive money from the winners, it does not mean the competition participants go home with an empty hand. On the contrary, they will achieve a different number of prizes.
European Players Purse in the Ryder Cup
European winners don’t receive prize money. Although they don’t earn the winning prize, they will receive gifts from their captains.
However, the captains here won’t likely use their money to contribute to their teams. Instead, the captains will get the money from the Ryder Cup pool to distribute fair gifts to the players on the European team. This tradition was not official until the golfer Tony Jacklin started it in 1983.
The US Players Purse in the Ryder Cup
The same thing goes for the US team in the Ryder Cup. No participant from the US Ryder Cup team received any prize money. However, the team distributes the prize money to various charity organizations under each member’s name.
In this case, each player can choose the charity they wish to donate to. Some charitable campaigns and organizations are ready to receive the prize money from the US team for the Ryder Cup.
The prize money in history
There has never been any money in the Ryder Cup. It was to honor the principle of the creator of the Ryder Cup. However, the players used to get a small amount of money for compensation starting in the 1920s.
For instance, in the 1927 Ryder Cup tournament, British players received kits and travel compensation packages.
The compensation money has grown from time to time, so it is sensible to see the players of the Ryder Cup go home with a tiny amount of purse.
How to make a profit from the Ryder Cup
Is it a profitable business? Still, the answer is YES. That’s why the organizers keep organizing the competition routinely. How the teams distribute the profits depends on the host nations.
If the Ryder Cup takes place in the US, the PGA of America will have the right to determine the profit distribution.
The organizers will be using a percentage system. The PGA of America will take a ratio of 5 to one.
Meanwhile, the profit structure will differ when the Ryder Cup happens in Europe. The European Tour organizers will get 60% of the total profits.
How does the Ryder Cup receive income from the event?
The Ryder Cup officials will strike a deal with the TV channels and networks in the UK and US. It is sensible since both UK and US TV channels have the broadcasting rights to the upcoming Ryder Cup event. Commercials, ads, merchandise, and other sources of income.
It has become one of the most expensive international golf events. The organizers and TV have signed million-dollar deals.
In the US, for example, the NBC channel has owned the full broadcasting rights to cover the complete games of the Ryder Cup. We can assure you that NBC will accompany us for the next ten years. They signed in 2015 for 15 years.
The actual income regarding the exact number of revenues has never been revealed to the public. But we can know how much the officials earned from ticket sales. In the latest tournament, they received around $35 million only from ticket sales.
Besides signing deals with TV channels, the officials have also signed agreements with popular brands like Johnie Walker, Rolex, BMW, etc.
Besides the TV rights in the US and UK, the coverage is also viable in around 183 countries across the globe. According to 2020 statistics, about 500 million viewers are expected to watch the Ryder Cup spectacle. The Ryder Cup also signed a deal with the particular TV networks in each participating country for the coverage. So, it is no exaggeration that the Ryder Cup can have enormous revenue in every series match.
Also Read: Facts to Know about the Ryder Cup Trophy
