The 2025 Ryder Cup is shaping up to be one of the most eagerly awaited events in golf.
From Keegan Bradley taking over as captain to Europe aiming for their first away win since 2012, there are plenty of storylines building up.
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Another big talking point is the decision to pay US players for their participation, something that’s never been done before.
Collin Morikawa recently shed some light on why Bradley pushed so hard for this change.
Morikawa explains why Bradley wanted Ryder Cup players to be paid
The European side has always held firm on the belief that the Ryder Cup isn’t about money, and payments shouldn’t come into it.
Even so, a few American players have said their $200,000 compensation isn’t about personal gain.
Morikawa explained that Bradley and the PGA of America saw it as a chance for players to support good causes, like charities.
“Look, I think Keegan and the PGA of America have fought in certain ways just to… whether it’s a thank you or… I think the PGA of America and whoever is making a lot of money from the Ryder Cup… they are making a lot of money,” he said.
“And I think on that end, it’s just to give us an opportunity to either pay our respective teams, because the teams behind us don’t get the recognition that we do, but they deserve a lot of it. But also just to give back to our own communities.
“We have a lot of communities back home that sometimes don’t get the recognition, that don’t get word-of-mouth, just because we don’t travel to those places that the PGA Tour stops on every week. Just more opportunities, I think, for us to help out people that we care about.”
Morikawa responds to whether $200,000 is fair compensation for US Ryder Cup players
Morikawa was also asked whether $200,000 is a fair amount for the US players to receive this week.
He refused to be drawn into that debate and instead discussed why he feels emotional about the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black.
“Don’t trap me in a corner (laughing). There’s no number. It could be zero. It could be one dollar. There isn’t a right or a wrong amount,” Morikawa added.
“Look, I think at the end of the day, all 12 of us here playing when we tee it up on Friday, and before this all started, we just want to win the Ryder Cup. We want to win it for ourselves. We want to win it for our country.
“When we stood out there two days ago and we got speeches from the Nassau Players Club and we got speeches from the firefighter and his son, look, I’m not an emotional guy, but like there were emotions. And sometimes it just hits home.
“When you hear that type of stuff and you’re able to bring out that emotion, just being able to represent a country, you want to step on that first tee and put points on the board. That’s all I’m going to remember. So hopefully we have a great three days coming this week.”