PGA of America announces incredible Ryder Cup gesture

The PGA of America has announced a new ‘grassroots program’ that will offer fans free Ryder Cup tickets.

‘The People’s Perk’ will give 3,000 tickets to local New York residents for this year’s match between Europe and the United States at Bethpage Black.

It will come as an incredible surprise to golfers at several public golf courses on Long Island and the New York City metro area, with no indication of exactly when and where.

The Metropolitan PGA Section will help choose the venues before the PGA of America conducts randomly selected visits to distribute the tickets.

Meanwhile, the body will make a series of special visits to give Ryder Cup tickets to area first responders and community groups.

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“The People’s Perk is a special way for us to celebrate the unparalleled dedication and enthusiasm of the New York golf community by providing them with a memorable experience at the 2025 Ryder Cup,” said PGA of America president Don Rea Jr.

In conversation with Golf Channel, Bryan Karns, the PGA of America’s championship director, added: “As we kept thinking about what Bethpage represents, it’s the people, it’s the tie to public golf.

“We’ve gotten to know the culture very well, the challenge of playing public golf.

“Very early on, in 2023, we were kicking around the idea [of a giveaway] because we knew the demand would be so high with a global audience.

“At the Ryder Cup you’re competing with people all over the world and that was actually the north star. We didn’t have any way to carve out tickets for the people who are the essence of Bethpage.”

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Each lucky recipient will get a voucher for two tickets, which can be used between Tuesday-Sunday at their choice.

Around 250,000 fans are expected on the grounds between September 23-28, despite outrage over the initial ticket prices.

Tickets for Friday through Sunday set fans back $750, including unlimited food and non-alcoholic beverages, prompting criticism of the PGA of America.

But Karns insists the initiative is not a direct response to that.

“We know this isn’t some sort of silver bullet that will take care of everyone,” he said.

“In no way is this a reaction to anything other than what we knew was going to be competition for the tickets because the demand was going to be so high. We didn’t want this to feel reactionary.”

John Turnbull A graduate of the University of Stirling, John joined the bunkered team in 2023 as a Content Producer, with a responsibility for covering all breaking news, tour news, grassroots content and much more besides. A keen golfer, he plays the majority of his golf at Falkirk Tryst Golf Club. Top of his 'bucket list' is a round of Pebble Beach... ideally in the company of Gareth Bale.