“If they wanna pay us...that’s great”: $110M-worth Scottie Scheffler makes feelings clear on Ryder Cup pay
American golfer Scottie Scheffler has made his stance clear amid reports of Team USA getting paid for playing at the prestigious Ryder Cup. The biennial tournament is making waves in the golf world after a report surfaced last month claiming the PGA of America has agreed to pay the USA team to participate. Reportedly, the players will be getting $40,000 each.
This week, Scheffler, whose net worth is $110 million as per Celebrity Net Worth, is heading to play at the 2024 Hero World Challenge as the defending champion. Ahead of the tournament, he was asked about his opinion on the Ryder Cup payments during a press conference.
Replying to the reporters, the American golfer said that it would be "great" if the officials "want to pay", while he also acknowledged that the team is "more than willing to play in the Ryder Cup for free." Scheffler said (via Golf Monthly):
"As far as I’m concerned, I think all of us on the American side are more than willing to play in the Ryder Cup for free. We’ve been playing in the Ryder Cup for free for a long time. And if they want to pay us to play in the tournament, that’s great.
"And it's funny, I feel like a lot of the time in the golf media people are trying to talk less and less about money, but every week I sit here and get asked about money so you can't really have both there," he added.
Scottie Scheffler has returned to compete this week after a long break. He last played at the Presidents Cup for Team USA and had been on a break since then.
Scottie Scheffler says his "motivating factor has never been more money"
In the press conference at the 2024 Hero World Challenge, Scottie Scheffler also spoke about his motivation to play golf and said that "money" is "just a bonus" of his performance. He said (via Golf Monthly):
"I think every one of our players would pay to play in the Ryder Cup if that's what was asked of us. I think it's a little bit silly for a tournament that makes hundreds of millions of dollars to ask for the players to pay as well, but I think we all would. I definitely would.
"I never played golf for money, I played golf because I love the game, I love competition. My motivating factor has never been more money," he added.
Scheffler has been phenomenal with his game on the PGA Tour in 2024. He won seven tournaments on the circuit and around $62 million this year. He won the season-ending Tour Championship and earned $25 million in bonuses. In addition to that, he has earned hefty amounts from the signature events he won this season.