Golf fans looking to attend next year's Ryder Cup will be charged $750 for valid day-of tickets to the tournament through the event's “random selection” process. The cost of attending the Bethpage block in New York, which Europe wants to defend, won the Cup in Rome last year, and as it moves toward the corporate classes, the Ryder Cup is only likely to increase the perception of pricing for casual golf fans. Online backlash has proven to be severe.
Those who have not already purchased Bethpage tickets can register for free via the Ryder Cup official site for random allocation. Successful applicants for next September's event will be notified early next month. Only single tickets are available for each day, though those selected by ballot can purchase up to four if they can afford it.
Tuesday and Wednesday training days cost $255.27. That figure rose to $423.64 on Thursday, apparently including the Junior Ryder Cup, popular tournaments and the Opening Ceremony. Friday, Saturday and Sunday costs $749.51 per day. Organizers are kind enough to indicate prices that include fees and New York sales tax. Standard match day tickets to Rome cost over £200.
This time branded as Rider Cup+ package includes food and non-alcoholic beverages. The terms and conditions state: “Redeem one entree, one snack and one non-alcoholic drink per visit whenever you're ready to dine – and feel free to return whenever you like. Liquor is also available for purchase.”
The Ryder Cup is usually a cash cow for the PGA of America or the European Tour. However, in his strategy statement accompanying the recently published accounts, European Tour Group chairman Eric Nicoli made particular reference to the Ryder Cup challenges, despite more than 270,000 attending in Rome.
Nikoli said: “The staging budget for the Ryder Cup experienced significant macroeconomic pressures, driven by post-Covid supply chain challenges and disruptions from the war in Ukraine, with inflation running at +22% compared to Paris 2018. In addition, there was Difficulty operating in a country unaccustomed to hosting large-scale greenfield events. This led to a 35% increase in operating costs compared to Paris 2018.
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“However, strong increases in revenue across all key Ryder Cup revenue streams (tickets, sponsorship, merchandise, digital and media rights) helped offset these cost pressures.”
