The Ryder Cup was postponed in 2020 so that fans could attend in 2021, so how many are allowed to attend?
How Many Fans Are At The Ryder Cup?
A capacity crowd is expected for the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin, from Friday 24 to Sunday 26 September.
Ryder Cup organisers are hosting the 43rd edition of the tournament with a full-spectator attendance, which is expected to welcome between 40,000-45,000 fans each day.
Organisers stated that they are continuing to follow the guidance of public health authorities, and they’re currently working on specific guidelines that may be required of attendees.
Despite this, they’ve managed to ensure that the match play event between the United States and Europe goes ahead in front of large numbers of spectators at Whistling Straits.
Due to the pandemic and strict travel restrictions, however, there will be very few European fans in what will be a partisan US crowd.
The 2021 Solheim Cup was also played in front of a partisan US crowd
The Ryder Cup was postponed in 2020 due to Covid-19, with PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh suggesting the event is uniquely about the fans, so playing without them wouldn’t make sense.
The players also agreed.
“I personally don’t want to play if there’s no fans. I don’t see a point in playing it,” Brooks Koepka said in 2020.
Rory McIlroy said that the Ryder Cup without fans “isn’t a Ryder Cup,” whilst Jon Rahm said, “For me, a Ryder Cup without the spectators is just not a Ryder Cup.”
Related: Which course has hosted the most Ryder Cups
Consequently, the biennial match was postponed a year due to restrictions preventing spectators from attending last year.
Team Europe are the holders of the Ryder Cup, after winning in 2018 at Le Golf National in Paris with a convincing seven point victory.
The Wisconsin course most recently hosted the 2015 PGA Championship, where more than 200,000 fans were in attendance over the course of the week.
Ryder Cup organisers are hoping for similar figures six years on at this event, and are confident that nearly 150,000 people can attend during the three days of tournament play.
The United States will also hope that heading back to home soil can help them rediscover their Ryder Cup form, having won just three out of the last 12 Cups they have contested with Europe.
Steve Stricker is the US team captain, while Padraig Harrington will be looking to guide Europe to retaining their Ryder Cup trophy.
First though, Harrington and his players will have to navigate a capacity crowd at Whistling Straits, who have waited an extra year for this event.
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