Iss. #215 | Ryder Cup Tix... Inflation Amiright?

Iss. #215 | Ryder Cup Tix... Inflation Amiright?

"She bombed like Rory at the US Open." - Reince Priebus (the former RNC Chair—not to be confused with Expecto Patronum, a spell commonly cast in the Harry Potter franchise) firing one of the wildest strays while discussing Kamala Harris' appearance on FOX... or me describing my 10-leg NFL parlay last weekend. 

Poor Rory.

 

Want to go to the Ryder Cup?

IT'S GONNA COST YA
Roughly one year out from the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage in New York, golf social media was in an uproar this week as people discussed the pretty insane ticket prices.

Practice round ticket prices are about $250 each.
Thursday round ticket prices are about $420 each.
Friday-Sunday round ticket prices are... just under $750 each.
 
Yikes.
 
For comparison, Golf Digest's article recapped the ticket prices for some of golf's other major events...
 
Last year's Ryder Cup were between $50 and $275
Masters are between $100-150
US Open are between $60-200
 
Wait, wait, wait, wait... Ryder Cup organizers say... but Ryder Cup tickets include unlimited food and non-alcoholic drinks.
 
To which my mind goes to the iconically cringe-y Scott's Tots episode of The Office where Michael Scott promised grade schoolers he'd pay for their college tuition if they graduated high school. Only to learn that they were all graduating... and he couldn't pay. So he shows up with a duffel bag of laptop batteries and as everyone is yelling and complaining he says... wait, wait, wait, wait... they're lithium.
 
No WORLD where you are eating up to $500 difference in ticket price in hot dogs and diet cokes.
 
The ticket controversy originally erupted when No Laying Up's Kevin Van Valkenburg tweeted this rather important point about the prices that goes beyond just gouging fans...
People are using the subdued US Open crowds at LACC as a comparison—and I'm having a hard time disagreeing. This is a golf tournament that, hypothetically, should try to stoke the most passionate home golf crowds imaginable to put the pressure on Team Europe. Jacking up the prices won't deter everyone, and I'm sure vibes will still be high, but it will knock out the casuals who may not be as interested in the golf but would still come out loud and proud for Team America.
 
The final piece to the story comes from an interview that the PGA championship director, Bryan Karns, gave on SiriusXM.
 
"We view ourselves as a Tier 1 event that's on par with a World Series, or with an NBA Finals Game 7... There are people who have the Ryder Cup on their bucket list in the same way that someone would have a Yankees opening game World Series on their bucket list... The demand is at an all-time high for this event, so we wanted to make sure we priced it appropriately."

That's capitalism, baby.
 
And in another interview for golf.com, Bryan shared what's probably the most important point of it all—from a business standpoint.
 
The PGA of America also looked to avoid creating “a massively inflated secondary market”—essentially taking secondary market profits for themselves by setting a higher price.
 
There it is.

 

It's time to trust the polls

SI WOO FOR PRESIDENT?
Change we can believe in!
 
Caught this post on social this week and had to share. Top notch poll trolling.
 
With a President Si Woo... I'd have some serious campaigning to do... but at least it would give me the potential promise of joining his Cabinet. 
 
Secretary of the Interior has a nice ring to it and I'm sure there is some sort of deal to be had in creating a federally protected series of affordable golf courses across this great nation of ours! Generate revenue from the greens fees, combine the course with extensive nature trails and wildlife habitats—boom, taxpayer dollars well spent.

 

"Looks like my 4 iron"

BELICHECK'S ENJOYING RETIREMENT
Love any time golf can sneak its way into other broadcasts and culture, at large.
 
On Monday Night Football, Bill Belicheck joined the Manning Cast, an alternate broadcast where Peyton and Eli pal around with mystery guests and talk shop while the game plays. Intentionally casual, I like that it offers something different to the traditional color commentary. 
 
I'd also love to see this attempted for golf too. Not the whole broadcast since that'd be a hefty lift, but maybe the final hour or two of coverage on the weekend? Give me some fun personalities shooting the $#&@ while the golf happens on the other screen. But that's besides the point.
 
Bill watched Tyler Bass, the Bills kicker, absolutely SHANK a field goal attempt and without missing a beat, Bill said "That looks like my 4 iron, Peyton."
 
Solid.
 
Golf Digest also shared this iconic quote about Bill's golf game from ESPN's Gene Wojciechowski.
 
"[Bill] plays with all the joy of a coal miner going into the darkness."
 
Poetry.

 

"No apostrophe"

TIME HEALS ALL WOUNDS
As we enter full-blown spooky szn—a clever Halloween costume or two is always worth highlighting.
 
Seems that time has healed all wounds at the Scheffler household as Scottie and Merideth found the viral photo of the Augusta arrest costume hilarious. Sneaky flex that someone actually got AUGUSTA as their license plate, too.
 
My favorite part of social posts almost always comes down to the comments, and a completely different department of law enforcement—the grammar police.
 
Huge shout out to @reademitchellofficial, not to be confused with the other Reade Mitchell fan accounts, who rightly pointed out that the post's caption should READE "Schefflers" without the apostrophe.
 
Grammar Police: It's a thankless job, and literally no one has to do it. 

 

A quick fantasy football pop-in

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