PGA of America director justifies $750 Ryder Cup ticket prices, compares it to the NBA finals

After the conclusion of the Presidents Cup this year, the Ryder Cup is the next big biennial tournament golf fans will be looking forward to. While there is still a lot of time left for the tournament to commence, the prices of the tickets were recently revealed, and they have stirred quite a reaction on social media.

Per the official website of the Ryder Cup, the day tickets for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are $750. Many have spoken about the high price point on social media platform X (fka Twitter). However, during an appearance on SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio, PGA of America director Bryan Karns defended the price of the tickets.

Comparing it to the NBA Finals, Karns said:

"I mean, we view ourselves as a tier 1 event that's on par with the World Series or with an NBA Finals Game 7. I mean, that was a part of it, and so again, when we look at pricing, we are able to tap into data from all these different venues. Again, our partner Delaware North they operate the Boston Bruins, Boston Celtics. They operate Lambeau Field."

"We are able to see, 'hey, what do people pay?' And so that really drove this to again our position in this landscape, where do we feel ourselves, and I think that's the reality. There are people who have the Ryder Cup on their bucket list in the same way someone would have, you know, a Yankees, opening game of the World Series on their bucket list."

Bryan Karns concluded his answer by saying the demand for the event is at an all-time high, and hence, they made sure to price it appropriately. It's important to note next year's Ryder Cup will be played between September 26 and 28 at the Bethpage Black Golf Course.

A look at the players leading in the standings for the 2025 Ryder Cup

Here is a look at the points and the standings for Team USA and Team Europe for the 2025 Ryder Cup:

Team Europe:

Rasmus Højgaard (Denmark): 399.03
Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland): 354.07
Niklas Nørgaard (Denmark): 351.5
Matt Wallace (England): 350.5
Tyrrell Hatton (England): 295.84
Dan Bradbury (England): 274.95
Angel Hidalgo (Spain): 269.17
Matteo Manassero (Italy): 234.76
Jon Rahm (Spain): 205.3
Alfredo Garcia-Heredia (Spain): 194.55
Tommy Fleetwood (England): 185.63
Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium): 180.32

Team USA:

Xander Schauffele: 9,580.956
Scottie Scheffler: 9,145.556
Bryson DeChambeau: 6,993.000
Collin Morikawa: 2,478.133
Brian Harman: 2,250.561
Billy Horschel: 2,037.223
Wyndham Clark: 1,936.213
Patrick Cantlay: 1,613.255
Russell Henley: 1,600.426
Tony Finau: 1,575.878
Sahith Theegala: 1,234.287
Max Homa: 1,229.883

It's important to note that Luke Donald will be captain of Team Europe at the 2025 Ryder Cup, whereas Presidents Cup winner Keegan Bradley will be captaining the American team. The last edition of the event was won by Team Europe, with Donald as captain.