Team Europe WAGs and caddies gifted Rolexes by Ryder Cup captain amid payment quandary

European wags and caddies have all been given gifts of Rolexes by team captain Luke Donald. But Team Europe insist the presents have not been made instead of cash payments to the 12 players.

And Team USA skipper Keegan Bradley has made the same gift of the Swiss watches - who sponsor the event - to the wives and girlfriends of the Americans.

European players traditionally receive an engraved Rolex - which can retail for up to $70,000 - as a gift before the Ryder Cup.

Donald, who has made fostering a family spirit a central tenant of his captaincy, went further on Monday by also extending the gift to the 24 Wags and caddies in a ceremony in the team room, report theDaily Telegraph.

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The sponsorship deal is likely to have seen the DP World Tour, which bought directly from the manufacturer, purchase the luxury timepieces at a reduced rate.

But Team Europe insiders state that the gesture was made as an act of appreciation and to “elevate the experience” on Long Island this week and not to avoid a pay dispute.

The Americans are to be paid for the first time this year after the issue first emerged before the 1999 Ryder Cup in Brookline - and Patrick Cantlay denied refusing to wear a Team USA hat in protest in Rome two years ago.

The world No.22 is wearing a baseball cap this year - and revealed on Tuesday that he will be giving his $200,000 stipend to charity along with the $300,000 each player already donates to good causes.

“I think one of the great things about these team events for me is there's always such a big charitable component to it, and so I'm going to donate the money to my charity,” said Cantlay.

And the American, who wore the team cap during a Monday practice round and during his press conference yesterday, said: “Like I've said a million times, the hat didn't fit last year, and this year we worked with them to make sure we had one, and we got one, so we're good.”

Donald came out strongly against European players getting paid for playing after the last Ryder Cup - and suggested at the start of the week that money could cause the home crowd to turn against Team USA with tickets costing $750 each.

Asked if the two factors could combine to incite the home crowd if Team USA are losing, Donald said: “That could happen. We all know how high the ticket prices are and it's going to be an expensive trip out for a family of four. If the U.S. players are getting paid a stipend, or whatever it is, and they aren't performing, the New Yorkers could make them know about it.”

The European skipper claimed he is backed by his players on the issue - and Rory McIlroy said last year he would pay to play the Ryder Cup. “It speaks to what the Ryder Cup means to these guys,” Donald added. “A couple hundred thousand dollars to these guys isn't a lot of money in the grand scheme of things.

“I wanted to get ahead of this when I first heard about it last year and looked like it was likely going to happen. As I said I reached out to all the 12 guys in Rome and see how they felt. Their voices are important. Everyone was like, we haven't even considered playing for money for that event. We just don't see that. We understand what it represents. We have a great purpose, and that's really enough for us.

“We understand that the money raised goes to help The European Tour Group and the grass roots. Again we talk a lot about this, we are here to inspire the next generation. So this money is going to good things. It will hopefully help future Ryder Cup players become great players. I think our purpose, why we play the Ryder Cup, is pretty strong, and that's enough for that week.

“Those weeks of the Ryder Cup, they are the best weeks. There's so much more to them. Again, we certainly don't need any motivation or monetary rewards to get us up.”