How Much Are Solheim Cup Golfers Paid?

Women's professional golf tournaments on the LPGA Tour can offer prize funds of a couple million dollars or more. Payouts to the winner from such a tournament purse top several hundred thousand dollars and go up, with payouts descending based on place of finish. So how much money do the players on the winning and losing teams in the Solheim Cup earn? The answer is the same: None.

The Solheim Cup does not have a tournament purse or prize fund. So the 24 golfers who play in the Solheim Cup have earnings for the week of zero. Zilch. Nada. Bupkis.

The Solheim Cup is the every-other-year competition, styled after the older Ryder Cup, played by women professional golfers. One team of 12 represents Europe, another team of 12 represents the United States. The teams are guided by team captains and assistant captains.

But none of them — players or team captains — get paid, even though they all put in a full tournament week with practice sessions preceding the three days of competition, and with mandatory dinners and other team activities. Instead, all those players and captains are there for the honor of playing in the event, the team camaradarie in what is usually a very individual sport, and the opportunity to represent country or continent.

That doesn't mean that there aren't indirect financial benefits to playing in a Solheim Cup, however. Making a Solheim Cup team is a great way for a golfer (especially a young golfer or first-time player) to raise her profile, to attract the attention of potential new sponsors or to uncover new business opportunities. Sometimes, a Solheim Cup golfer is able to cash in on such opportunities.

But direct payments to the winning and losing sides? A tournament purse or other prize fund? Those things don't exist in the Solheim Cup.

See also: How much are Ryder Cup golfers paid?