Killing of Charlie Kirk raises Ryder Cup security risk at Bethpage Black

The killing of American conservative activist Charlie Kirk has increased the likelihood that the Ryder Cup could be targeted by someone seeking to make a statement, the event's security lead said on Friday. Major Stephen Udice of the New York State Police, incident commander for the Ryder Cup, told BBC Sport that "If anything, the likelihood of somebody trying to use an event like this to make a statement is only increased." He added that planners are operating under the assumption that the event will draw global attention, and that the competition at Bethpage Black will unfold in a densely populated park near New York.

The 2025 Ryder Cup is set to take place at Bethpage Black on Long Island from 26-28 September, with around 50,000 spectators expected on each day of play. US President Donald Trump will visit the course once the competition gets under way on Friday, adding to the security footprint at a venue that sits just outside New York City. Udice and his team are coordinating a response that spans multiple agencies and levels of government, and they say the plan has been in development well before this week’s events.

Speaking from a command centre built on the outskirts of the course, Udice insisted that "a tremendous amount of resources" have been assigned to the event. "In an event of this size, with the attention that this is going to get around the world, we also recognise that this is a target," he said. He described the security posture as multi-layered and comprehensive, noting that it must contend with the open, 1,400-acre park setting rather than a contained stadium. "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," Udice said. "We have drones, we're going to have several state police helicopters, we have chemical units, biological units, radiological units, numerous bomb-disposal dogs."

Trump, a golf enthusiast who owns courses around the world, is expected to arrive at Bethpage late on Friday morning and watch the afternoon fourballs. He has previously attended major sports finals this summer, including the US Open tennis final in New York. The security operation has already caused delays at other events this week, and it remains to be seen how the president’s visit will affect the Ryder Cup’s daily routine. Udice said, "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." He added: "We're trying to strike that balance between minimising the interruption to all the spectators but also keeping the president safe."

Ryder Cup director Bryan Karns acknowledged the added complexity posed by the president’s plans, telling BBC Sport that the logistics of hosting a world-stage event with a presidential presence are the hardest part of the operation. "This is the hardest thing we'll have to do, probably," Karns said when asked about the challenge posed by the 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." He stressed that play would not be paused to accommodate the visit, noting, "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. 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."

Karns also depicted the Ryder Cup as an event with a unifying purpose, saying that the city’s residents "rally together from opposite sides of the street, from totally different backgrounds," and that such moments can be healing opportunities. He added that the event’s intent is to bring fans together to support their teams regardless of background, a sentiment he tied to the competition’s broader spirit. "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. I think that that's what the spirit of the Ryder Cup is. Fans of all backgrounds can come and root for their team."