Bethpage Black, the brawny Long Island layout that has played host to two recent US Opens, will be the site of a Ryder Cup and a PGA Championship, Golfweek has learned.
The 2024 Ryder Cup and the 2019 PGA will be held at Bethpage Black, ranked No. 21 on Golfweek’s Best Classic list, according to sources close to the negotiations. The announcement was expected to occur Aug. 13.
Bethpage Black, the 1935 A.W. Tillinghast design in Farmingdale, generated massive crowds for the 2002 and 2009 US Opens, won by Tiger Woods and Lucas Glover, respectively.
Ted Bishop, the PGA of America’s president, would not confirm Bethpage’s status as a future major-championship site but he did talk about metropolitan New York as a premier golf stage.
“I think taking a major sporting event like the Ryder Cup to what I would arguably say is the greatest sports city in the United States in New York would be a phenomenal combination,” Bishop said from Oak Hill Country Club, site of the PGA Championship. “It’s a mammoth venue, and you’ve got a lot of possibilities for infrastructure and being able to handle crowds and the stadium-golf concept. I could give you 100 reasons why I think Bethpage certainly is very high on our radar as it relates to a Ryder Cup.”
Another appeal would be Phil Mickelson. His Open shortcomings continued while taking runner-up honors in both events at Bethpage, but he emerged as a fan favorite. Mickelson would be 54 at the 2024 Ryder Cup and could be a potential US captain.
Mickelson, speaking during the PGA Championship, called a Ryder Cup at Bethpage “an incredible idea.”
“I think that will give the US side a distinct advantage,” he said. “I love it. I’ve been quietly hoping it would go there for years. It’s a perfect site.”
Added Steve Stricker: “I played with Phil there the last time on Saturday (in ’09), and I haven’t heard a crowd that boisterous and loud ever. I’d be scared for the Europeans.”
The Americans could use the advantage. After last year’s stunning 14 1/2-13 1/2 European victory, the Americans lead the biennial series, 25-12-2. Europe has won seven of the past nine Ryder Cups.
Tom Watson will captain the Americans next year at Glenagles Scotland. The future sites for the matches: Hazeltine National in Chaska, Minn. (2016), Le Golf National in Paris (2018) and Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wis. (2020).
