Ryder Cup: Donald says fans could turn on fee-earning U.S. stars

Luke Donald has claimed that American fans at Bethpage Black could turn on Team USA’s players because they are being paid to take part.

“That could happen,” Donald told British media when asked if the atmosphere in Farmingdale, New York could turn sour. “We all know how high the ticket prices are, and it’s going to be an expensive trip out for a family of four. If the U.S. players are getting paid a stipend, or whatever it is, and they aren’t performing, the New Yorkers could make them know about it.”

Team USA’s players and captain will each receive $500,000 this week — $300,000 of which must be donated to charity — whereas Team Europe will not get a personal financial reward.

“I wanted to get ahead of this when I first heard about it last year and looked like it was likely going to happen,” Donald said. “I reached out to all the 12 guys from Rome to see how they felt. Their voices are important. Everyone was like: ‘We haven’t even considered playing for money for that event.’

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“We just don’t see that. We understand what it represents. We have a great purpose and that’s really enough for us. We understand that the money raised goes to help the European Tour Group and the grassroots.

“We talk a lot about this, we are here to inspire the next generation. So this money is going to good things. It will hopefully help future Ryder Cup players become great players. I think our purpose, why we play the Ryder Cup, is pretty strong and that’s enough for that week.

“It speaks to what the Ryder Cup means to these guys. A couple of hundred thousand dollars to these guys isn’t a lot of money in the grand scheme of things. Those weeks of the Ryder Cup, they are the best weeks. There’s so much more to them. We certainly don’t need any motivation or monetary rewards to get us up.”

The Ryder Cup begins on Friday.