FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — As it turns out, there will be affordable tickets to Ryder Cup Sunday after all.
All Bethpage needed to bring the prices down from the controversial rates set by the PGA of America? A historic blowout.
After the European team drove a dagger through the hopes of the U.S. side on a lopsided Saturday at Bethpage, secondary ticket prices for Sunday’s 12 final singles matches have fallen more than 60 percent below face value — a staggering drop from tickets originally priced at $750, and listed for more than $1,500 per ticket less than a week ago.
As of 7 p.m. local time on Saturday evening, the get-in price for Sunday’s final round on secondary ticketing sites like SeatGeek and StubHub was less than $300, 60 percent less than the original face value price of $750.
The price plunge could largely be attributed to the scoreboard. The Europeans hold an 11.5 to 4.5 lead over the Americans after four sessions of play at Bethpage Black, and need just 2.5 points (or two wins and a halve) from Sunday’s 12 singles matches to retain the Ryder Cup. The Americans, meanwhile, have looked mostly listless, leading in matches for just six of the 144 holes played on Saturday, and winning matches in just two of eight opportunities.
Ticket prices have been a hot topic around Bethpage Black this week following the PGA of America’s controversial decision to price Ryder Cup tickets at $750. At the time, the PGA of America, which owns the Ryder Cup and the PGA Championship, defended the decision by arguing the Ryder Cup was a “tier one” event held in a major metropolitan area — two ingredients they felt correlated to sufficient demand for tickets at that price point. Golf fans lambasted the governing body for the decision, which they felt priced out the very golfers whom Bethpage, a municipal golf course with $70 in-state tee times, was built to welcome.
When tickets finally went on sale, the governing body was largely right. A hundred thousand or so sold out not long after becoming available, setting the stage for a high-priced (and high-stakes) battle between the United States and Europe.
Once play began on Friday morning, though, those dynamics seemed to change. An early European lead snowballed into an outright Euro blowout, silencing the Long Island crowds and sending ticket prices plummeting for the remainder of the weekend. After the Euros stole a third straight session on Saturday morning, prices for Sunday’s final round dropped from $800 to less than $500. After they stole the Saturday afternoon session, too, prices dropped again, to around $300.
Of course, a blowout in either direction was always a risk to secondary ticket prices, which are subject to the laws of supply and demand, and which generally suffer when competitions are not close. This was part of the risk with primary ticket prices as well — the chance that fans might feel their investment in the Ryder Cup, the PGA of America, or tournament golf was not worth the cost.
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