Ryder Cup golf tournament opening ceremony held early on Long Island due to weather concerns

Wednesday, September 24, 2025
FARMINGDALE, Long Island (WABC) -- Opening ceremonies for the Ryder Cup golf tournament were supposed to take place Thursday on Long Island, but because of forecasted thunderstorms, organizers moved festivities to Wednesday.

The LIRR in Farmingdale took on an international flare as some of the 250,000 fans expected for the Ryder Cup began streaming in.

Some came from points as far away as Ireland, Scotland and Dubai, but some fans were from much closer, like Westchester County.

At Bethpage State Park, the weather, which was expected to be soggy, did not dim the spirits of the fans, including 11-year-old Addison Frederick and her dad, Walter, who are from upstate New York.

The fans all boarded shuttle buses from the LIRR, and wherever else they parked nearby.



A lot of side streets were closed off to traffic, and there weren't too many parking spaces, but at the event, five matches were scheduled in the next three days between the U.S. and Europe. Statewide, the economic impact is expected to exceed $200 million.

No matter who the fans are rooting for, all are just praying for dry weather, and their chance to watch some healthy competition.

If you are planning to come to the event this week, leave plenty of time. You may want to check out the 74,000 square feet of retail space. There's a lot of merch, and in case you are worried, there's also 950 portable toilets.



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