Kirk killing increases Ryder Cup risk – New York police

2025 Ryder Cup

Venue: Bethpage Black, New York Dates: 26-28 September

The recent killing of American conservative activist Charlie Kirk has increased the risk of the Ryder Cup being targeted by someone wanting to “make a statement”, according to the man leading security at the event.

US President Donald Trump will visit the Bethpage Black course, a short distance outside New York, once the competition gets under way on Friday.

Fifty thousand spectators will also descend on the course in Long Island for each of the three days of action.

After Kirk was shot dead in Utah on 10 September, a vast and multi-agency security operation is being implemented for the showpiece golf contest between teams representing Europe and the United States.

“If anything, the likelihood of somebody trying to use an event like this to make a statement is only increased,” Major Stephen Udice of New York State Police, and incident commander for the Ryder Cup, told BBC Sport.

“Some would argue it’s much higher. We are planning as if there’s threats.

“We have multiple different layers that someone looking to cause chaos and harm is going to have to get through.

Speaking from a command centre specially built on the outskirts of the course, Udice insisted that “a tremendous amount of resources” had been assigned to the event.

“It is on par with a Super Bowl and a World Series, but what makes this even more challenging is that it’s in a 1,400-acre park, not a contained stadium,” he said.

Trump, who attended a memorial service for Kirk in Arizona this week, has visited various sporting events this summer, including the final of the men’s US Open tennis at Flushing Meadows in New York on 7 September.

Additional security measures caused delays there, with hundreds of fans missing the start of the match, and it remains to be seen how the president’s arrival at the Ryder Cup affects the day’s routine.

“It’s definitely going to create another challenge, but that’s also something that we incorporated into our plan a year and a half ago” said Major Udice.

“We’re trying to strike that balance between minimising the interruption to all the spectators but also keeping the president safe.”

Trump, a golf fanatic who owns courses around the world, is expected to arrive at Bethpage late on Friday morning and watch the afternoon fourballs.

It had been reported that the event’s PGA of America organisers were concerned about his initial plan to be present for the opening tee shots just after 07:00 EST (12:00 BST).

“It’s the hardest thing we’ll have to do, probably,” Ryder Cup director Bryan Karns told BBC Sport when asked about the challenge posed by the president’s visit.

“There’s some things that would certainly take a little bit longer, but I think not to the point that someone would be precluded from getting to a seat on the first tee. Obviously there are some logistical challenges, but none that we can’t solve.”

When asked if Trump’s arrival could mean a risk that play has to be paused, Karns said, “No, we won’t delay play, that’s pretty much set in stone in terms of how we operate. We don’t have the luxury of flipping the lights on and finishing this at 8 or 9pm.

“Obviously, we take our lead from the Secret Service and the White House, who have been incredibly collaborative. We have not felt like we’re not being listened to, and that’s been reassuring to us.”

When asked if Kirk’s recent murder and the highly divided political landscape in the US had added to the security challenge, Karns said: “This sort of event is unifying.

“New Yorkers, above all others, really rally together from opposite sides of the street, from totally different backgrounds, and these sort of moments are healing opportunities.