Some golf fans hoping to get their hands on tickets for the Adare Manor, Co Limerick, spectacle experienced technical difficulties and long queues.
The biennial golf tournament will be held at the course from Friday, September 17 to Sunday, September 19, with the course also open to fans for practice days earlier in the week.
A ticket sale window exclusive to Irish residents opened at 11am on Friday morning.
Significant demand for tickets saw more than 57,000 people waiting in the digital queue on the Ryder Cup Europe website as of 12pm on Friday.
Tickets for the tournament, held Friday through Sunday sold out before noon after going on sale at 11am. Practice day and weekly tickets also available in the exclusive Irish window sold out by 3pm.
More than 150,000 people from across the island of Ireland had pre-registered for early access, with a limited number of tickets available on a first come first served basis from 11am, organisers said
“Those unsuccessful in this window will have a second opportunity to purchase general admission daily tickets in the full public ballot which opens to fans from around the world on Wednesday June 3,” a spokesperson said.
Richard Atkinson, the European Tour Group’s Chief Ryder Cup Officer, said: “The demand from fans across the island of Ireland has been unprecedented. We know that Irish golf fans are amongst the most enthusiastic in the world and this is yet another reminder of that.
Rory McIlroy with the Ryder Cup Trophy after Europe won in Bethpage Black, New York, in 2025. Photo: Sportsfile
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“We also look forward to the start of June when, in addition to Irish residents getting a second chance, fans from around the world will get their opportunity to be part of this great sporting occasion.”
The 100th anniversary of the Ryder Cup will take place at Adare Manor in County Limerick, Ireland, from September 13-19, 2027.
It will be the second time the Ryder Cup has been held in Ireland, following The K Club in 2006,
Fans online expressed frustration with the queue for tickets but organisers said there were no widespread access issues for users.
“I got in the queue earlier when there was 53,000 ahead of me and all that was left an hour or so later when it finally came to my turn were the weekly tickets at €1,999 and the €89 tickets for Wednesday practice,” one fan said. “Just looked again and the practice tickets are all gone now so just the weekly tickets left.”
A spokesperson for Ryder Cup Europe said there were no major technical issues reported and acknowledged some users may have had individual issues during the sale.
“We are aware of a handful of individual user issues but there are no widespread technical problems with today’s sale,” they said.
“Indeed, tickets have been selling at anticipated levels given Irish fans’ renowned enthusiasm for golf and the Ryder Cup.”
A note for users queueing on the website reads: “Please note that a spot in the waiting room does not guarantee the availability of tickets.”
Some in the queue have been met with messages reading: “We are experiencing technical difficulties. We are currently working hard to fix the issue. Thank you for your patience.”
A number of others who reached the end of the queue and gained access to purchase tickets reported receiving an error that said: “An error occured while processing your cart. Please check your internet connection and try again.”
Pricing for the tickets has drawn criticism, with daily general admission priced at €499 each for the three days of play on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
The prices were described as “elitist” and “selective” by the Consumers’ Association of Ireland.
When the Ryder Cup was last hosted by Europe and held in Rome in 2023, general admissed tickets were available for €260.
Tickets for practice days on Tuesday and Wednesday are priced lower at €89 each, with €20 tickets available for under-16s.
For the Thursday, when the opening ceremony for the event will be held, tickets are available for €179.
Following the backlash, organisers defended the increased ticket prices, with chief Ryder Cup officer Richard Atkinson saying they were in line with other major sporting events.
“We acknowledge it’s an increase from Rome. That was four years ago and a lot has happened in the world since then,” Mr Atkinson told the BBC.
“We are lower than Bethpage. We’ve tried to make this as accessible as possible to a wide demographic of people. Our practice day tickets will be from €89 and juniors from €20.
“Our prices are proportionate to a global sporting event. This event has grown in stature and profile, it’s one of the biggest sporting events in the world. We’re confident in our pricing but we’ve made it accessible to everyone.”