A quick Google...
"The Ryder Cup famously does not pay its players or hand out a winning purse to the victors. Instead, members of the U.S. Ryder Cup team each receive $200,000 to donate to a charity of their choice."
As soon as you start paying people the magic disappears.
I remember loving watching club rugby union when it was "amateur".
Whether one thinks the players should be paid or not, Cantlay's words, particularly the timing of them, were pretty ill-judged.