Trump visit heightens security fears as weather forecast forces Opening Ceremony change
Team USA Captain Keegan Bradley and Team Europe Captain Luke Donald sit for a media interview during the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage State Park on Monday, September 22, 2025 in Farmingdale, New York. (Photo by Darren Carroll/PGA of America)
Security concerns about President Donald Trump’s planned visit to the Ryder Cup are growing, according to police.
But that’s not the only headache facing organisers of the biennial contest, which is expected to attract 50,000 fans a day to Bethpage State Park in New York.
An inclement weather forecast for tomorrow (Thursday) has forced the Ryder Cup Opening Ceremony to be moved to 4pm local time today (Wed).
Captains Keegan Bradley and Luke Donald were scheduled to announce their Friday morning's foursomes pairings at the Opening Ceremony, but they will now do so from an undisclosed location tomorrow (Thursday) at 4 pm local time.
Meanwhile, the BBC reported that the recent killing of American conservative activist Charlie Kirk has increased the risk of the Ryder Cup being targeted by someone wanting to "make a statement.”
Golf-mad President Trump is expected to visit the venue around midday on Friday to watch the afternoon fourballs and the incident commander for the Ryder Cup told the BBC that "if anything, the likelihood of somebody trying to use an event like this to make a statement is only increased.”
Major Stephen Udice of New York State Police said: "Some would argue it's much higher. We are planning as if there's threats. We have multiple different layers that someone looking to cause chaos and harm is going to have to get through.
"In an event of this size, with the attention that this is going to get around the world, we also recognise that this is a target.”
Bethpage State Park is around the size of Dublin’s Phoenix Park — 1,500 acres -— and Trump’s visit has only made the event more high risk.
"It's the hardest thing we'll have to do, probably," Ryder Cup director Bryan Karns told BBC Sport when asked about the challenge posed by the president's visit.
However, captains Bradley and Donald were diplomatic about President Trump’s visit and unconcerned that it could become a distraction to their players.
“No, definitely not,” Bradley said. “I'm deeply honoured that the President of the United States is going to come support our team at the Ryder Cup. “I think anytime you can be around a current President is a pretty phenomenal thing, but when you're representing your country at a place like Bethpage Black in New York, having the President there to support you is something that is just absolutely incredible. I'm really grateful to him for doing that for us.”
Donald also played down the possibility of Friday afternoon chaos surrounding the President’s visit.
“I think anytime a sitting president wants to come to an event, it just shows how big the Ryder Cup is,” the Englishman said.
“You've got to see that as a mark of respect. President Trump is obviously a big supporter of golf and he knows a lot of the players this week and has met them before. I think you see it as that, as a mark of respect, that that a sitting President wants to support an event when he has a very busy schedule. “To find time for that shows something.”
