Rory McIlroy: European Ryder Cup Players Accept Unpaid Bethpage Competition

Rory McIlroy dropped a bombshell Thursday, saying he’d actually pay to play in the Ryder Cup – a stark contrast to reports that American players might get $400,000 each for next year’s tournament at Bethpage Black.

"I personally would pay for the privilege to play," McIlroy told reporters in Dubai after his opening round at the DP World Tour Championship.

The four-time major champion didn’t hold back about keeping money out of the prestigious team event.

"The two purest forms of competition in our game right now are the Ryder Cup and the Olympics," he said. "Both have purity because no money is involved."

It’s a hot topic in golf right now. The PGA is reportedly ready to give each U.S. player $400,000 for participating – about what they’d earn for finishing 13th at The Players Championship.

That’s quite a change from tradition. Usually, each player gets $200,000 to donate to their favorite charities.

But times are changing. Ticket prices for next year’s Ryder Cup at Bethpage are hitting $750, and the event has become a massive money-maker.

McIlroy thinks that money could be better spent elsewhere.

"The Ryder Cup is one of the top five sporting events in the world," he explained. "But it’s so much more than that, especially to the Europeans and our tour."

He’s not alone. The European team has been talking it over with their captain, Luke Donald. Their solution? Put that money back into growing the game.

"$5 million or whatever paid to the team would be better spent elsewhere on the DP World Tour – even to support the Challenge Tour," McIlroy said.

Other European stars are backing him up. Tommy Fleetwood put it bluntly: "Pay me nothing or pay me $10 million to play in the Ryder Cup, I’m still going to do it."

Tyrrell Hatton and Shane Lowry have also jumped on board, making it clear they’re not interested in following the American payment model.

"I’ve never really thought it was a thing," Fleetwood added. "We’ll still play for the same reasons that we’ve always played."