Ryder Cup 2025: The history of Bethpage Black

Bethpage Black will host the Ryder Cup this weekend, nearly 12 years after the initial announcement that it would be the tournament’s host venue.

“Ryder Cup 2024” merchandise was on sale during the 2019 PGA Championship at the Long Island course, but because of the pandemic in 2020, the Ryder Cup reverted to its old format of being played in odd-numbered years. That change was first forced after the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

Fans in the New York area have had to wait another year to return to the course, but the wait is sure to be well worth it.

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Tiger Woods celebrates his victory on the 18th green at the 2002 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)

Dubbed “The People’s Country Club,” the major-championship course is open to the public and is often the site of overnight camping for golfers planning to play the course the following morning.

Before players tee off, they are greeted with a warning sign:

“The Black Course is an extremely difficult course which we recommend only for highly skilled golfers,” the infamous sign reads ahead of the right dogleg on the first hole.

The Ryder Cup trophy at Bethpage State Park Black Course on June 6, 2016, in Farmingdale, New York. (Gary Kellner/PGA of America)

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The course opened in 1936 but did not hold its first professional golf tournament until the 2002 U.S. Open.

The Ryder Cup will mark the sixth professional golf event held at Bethpage Black. The course also hosted the U.S. Open in 2009 and the Barclays, now called the St. Jude Championship, in 2012 and 2016.

Tiger Woods and Lucas Glover won the U.S. Open in 2002 and 2009, respectively, while Nick Watney won the 2012 Barclays, followed by Patrick Reed four years later. Brooks Koepka won the 2019 PGA Championship.

Brooks Koepka poses after winning the PGA Championship at Bethpage Black on May 19, 2019, in Farmingdale, New York. (Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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It was announced last week that the 2028 Women’s PGA Championship will be played at Bethpage, as will the 2033 PGA Championship.

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