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Top-level professional golf is awash with cash, with prize money going through the roof since the arrival of the Saudi-backed LIV tour.

So it may surprise some golf fans to learn that there is not a penny of prize money at Ryder Cup, which reaches its conclusion today (Sunday) with the singles. That’s right, the sport’s premier team competition offers just national and continental pride, plus the chance to lift one of the most famous trophies in sport.

Meanwhile, the PGA’s Players Championship – one of the most lucrative tournaments in sport – carries a prize fund of $25million dollars (around £20.4million), with the winner picking up $4.5billion (£3.67million).

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The arrival of LIV Golf, backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, led to division and animosity in the sport. It has also seen some colossal pay cheques being paid to some of the biggest names in the game.

The LIV Golf tournaments offer the same prize money as the Players Championship. The breakaway tour’s leading player is Dustin Johnson, who has made an incredible $46billion (£37.50million) from LIV alone, including $18billion (£14.7million) for being crowned the rebel tour's individual champion of 2022.

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Joining LIV has cost some players their Ryder Cup places though. US stars who defected to LIV were not barred from the event but as LIV tournaments do not carry any ranking points, they were left relying on Zach Johnson’s captain’s picks. One of those went to Brooks Koepka, the only LIV player on either side at this Ryder Cup.

It is different for the Europeans, with the Ryder Cup team largely being run by the DP World Tour (formally the European Tour). Therefore, players had to be members of that tour to be eligible for Ryder Cup selection, meaning veterans like Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood have missed out.

A truce was surprisingly called this summer, with LIV set to merge with the PGA and DP World Tours. How the combined tour will look remains to be seen.

Despite the absence of prize money, the Ryder Cup is still beneficial to players financially. With the biennial match drawing in casual golf fans more than any other event, it gives players extra exposure, potentially paving the way for new sponsorship deals and business opportunities.

The lack of price money and appearances means players are under no obligation to play in the match, but instances of players turning down the event are incredibly rare.

• Ryder Cup
• LIV Golf

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