The biennial Ryder Cup professional men’s golf tournament will tee off at the Bethpage Black course in Farmingdale for the first time Sept. 26-28.
The three-day competition pits a team of 12 of the best American golfers against 12 of the best European golfers in a match play competition. It alternates between American and European host venues — the 2023 Cup took place at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Italy.
“It’s one of the world’s premier sport events,” George Gorman, the Long Island regional director for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, said of the Ryder Cup. “We are really thrilled that the PGA of America selected us to have the Ryder Cup.”
The Ryder Cup will mark the first of two consecutive years with high-stakes golf tournaments taking place on Long Island. Next year’s U.S. Open — one of the four men’s major golf championships — will be held at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton from June 18-21. The Open has been played at Shinnecock Hills five times in the past, most recently in 2018.
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The top six players from both the U.S. and European Ryder Cup points standings automatically qualify for the event before each team’s captain selects six additional players of their choosing to round out the 12-man rosters. So far, three players have qualified for both the U.S. and European teams — the top six players on Aug. 17, following the BMW Championship, will qualify for the American side while the top six on Aug. 24, following the Betfred British Masters, will qualify for the European side.
Bethpage Black has played host to a variety of professional tournaments over the years, including the U.S. Open in 2002 and 2009, the Barclays in 2012 and 2016 and the PGA Championship in 2019. It is known for its extreme difficulty — even for the world’s top players — as evidenced by its iconic warning sign cautioning players before they embark on the course.
In a dual announcement all the way back in 2013, the PGA of America and then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo agreed to host both the 2019 PGA Championship and the 2024 Ryder Cup at Bethpage. The Cup is anticipated to bring over 50,000 people to each day of the tournament and $150 billion of economic impact to Long Island and the greater metropolitan area through boosts to tourism and local businesses. According to Gorman, hotels in the area around Bethpage are either already booked to capacity or very close to it with attendees now purchasing rooms further away from Bethpage in New York City and Suffolk County.
“They’re going to be dining in restaurants, using convenience stores, filling up at gas stations – so all of that has a tremendous economic impact,” Gorman said.
The Bethpage Chamber of Commerce has been working directly with the PGA to benefit their businesses, including participating in a roundtable event in Tribeca last year about procurement for local businesses. Through the PGA VendorMatch program, one of the Chamber’s florists was approved to work directly with the Ryder Cup. The Chamber is also preparing Chippo-Palooza, an event on Broadway in Bethpage scheduled for Sept. 27. The event, sponsored by Chippo Golf, will include golf-themed games including longest drive and a simulator as well as a live band and a large screen TV.
“We’ll invite some of our members to participate and have golf-themed events at their local restaurants, or venues or whatever their services are that they can offer,” said Lisa Moffa, president of the Bethpage Chamber of Commerce. “Our community is involved — there’s about 100 community members altogether participating as marshals for the Ryder Cup — it’s very exciting, it brings a lot of attention to the community.”
As the Ryder Cup approaches, the state parks department is working to prepare the facility for the influx of people. Most notably, they are preparing a large build-out that includes grandstands, bleachers, chalets and viewing areas to accommodate attendees.
Bethpage Black closed to the public on Aug. 18 for final preparations. Individual day tickets are on sale through SeatGeek beginning at over $1,000 including fees; they include access to concessions throughout the day. Attendees that choose to drive will park at Jones Beach State Park and take a shuttle to Bethpage.
For more information visit rydercup.com and bethpagegolfcourse.com. Bethpage State Park is located at 99 Quaker Meeting House Road in Farmingdale.
