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Fans hoping to secure briefs for next year’s Ryder Cup were left fuming after the first day of the ballot was affected by “technical issues”.

Soon after the process began, however, fans began to complain of reaching the front of the queue, only to be “rejected” and be forced to rejoin at the back.

Some reported the same issue happening multiple times, with fans branding the system an “absolute joke”.

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In an email to fans, Ryder Cup Europe claimed the issue was only affecting those attempting to enter the ballot on their phones.

“We are currently experiencing extremely high demand for the ballot, which means queuing time is longer than expected,” it added.

@rydercup @RyderCupEurope am I the only one that spends hours waiting in the ballot queue to be told when I get to the website the system has failed, join the queue again 🤷‍♂️
— Ian C (@IanCrocky) September 12, 2022

https://twitter.com/wafflebangbang/status/1569377529055567873

https://twitter.com/MarkAshford_/status/1569352904477388801

The @rydercup ticket ballot is an absolute shambles. Been in the queue for two and a half hours. Got to the front twice and then you get a ‘Rejected Queue Number’ and start again. Now have another hour wait.
— Matthew Fletcher-Jones (@iammfj) September 12, 2022

“The ballot will remain open until October 16, and there is no advantage gained by entering on day one. This means you have plenty of time to enter the ballot before it closes.”

Several ticket categories for next year’s showpiece in Rome have already sold out, with only day tickets remaining.

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Prices start at €50 for the Tuesday practice date, rising to €260 for Sunday’s singles ties.

Qualification for the European team began at last week’s BMW PGA Championship and will continue until September 3 next year.