Ripoff Ireland fears are confirmed as Americans shun Ryder Cup tickets

LONG before a ball was hit at the Ryder Cup, concern was raised that the event would be remembered by visitors less for the hundred thousand welcomes they received than for the hundreds of thousands of euro juiced from their wallets.

According to some at the event, those worries were well founded and one seasoned golf writer from the US said several of the larger city newspapers and specialist publications were notable by their absence because the costs were considered too high.

“A lot of the tour operators had spare capacity coming over here,” said the writer, who asked not to be named. “I’ll put it this way: Ryder Cup tickets were not the most difficult tickets to get your hands on this year.”