Donald Trump’s love for big sporting events is turning into a headache for organizers. After his disastrous appearance at the U.S. Open men’s final, Ryder Cup officials are now asking the president to hold off on attending the opening tee-off, Yahoo reported.
Last Sunday, Trump showed up to Arthur Ashe Stadium to watch Carlos Alcaraz face Jannik Sinner in the U.S. Open men’s singles final. His arrival sparked chaos at the gates, where airport-style scanners and strict security measures forced fans to empty their pockets and go through body scans. The delays left hundreds of empty seats during the national anthem and pushed the start of the match back by nearly 50 minutes. When Trump was spotted in the crowd, the boos were deafening.
“It is an absolute s–t show,” a source told Page Six. “Cars can’t get into parking lots, and people are walking miles. Even celebs are having to wait like normies.”
The Ryder Cup is expecting about 50,000 fans each day, nearly double what the U.S. Open drew. With no room in the schedule to delay tee times, organizers have asked Trump to avoid the high-profile opening moments and instead show up later in the day, ideally after lunch. Whether Trump will actually agree to that request remains unclear.
Team Europe captain Luke Donald admitted that both sides have already been warned about Trump’s visit. “We were told that he’s coming. We don’t know the details yet, and I think the tours are talking with the PGA of America to get more information. I guess he will want to be on the first tee,” Donald said.
“Again, we understand that he’s coming, and both teams will be ready for that. There were some delays at the tennis, and I think we’re probably all aware of that, but hopefully they have learnt from that. It’s a big process, obviously, to get a president to come to an event. There’s a lot of security and everything. It takes some work, and the PGA of America’s job is to make sure it’s seamless. I think the crowd is probably going to be loud no matter what.”
(Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
The PGA of America echoed that message in a statement. “While President Trump has indicated interest in attending the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage, specific details have not been confirmed. As we get closer to Ryder Cup week, we will communicate any relevant updates that may impact the Ryder Cup experience. Our priority remains delivering a seamless, secure, and first-class event for all our guests.”
Meanwhile, the U.S. Tennis Association had tried to limit fallout from Trump’s U.S. Open visit. Before the final, broadcasters were explicitly told not to show disruptions or crowd reactions tied to his presence. The warning did little to stop the audience from voicing its feelings, and Trump’s cameo ended up overshadowing one of the sport’s biggest matches of the year.