Ryder Cup Shops, a 60,000-square-foot merchandise pavilion, covers "the size of a football field," and is "open to the public this weekend" at the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits Golf Course, according to a front-page piece by Rick Barrett of the MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL. It will have "1,300 logo items from coffee mugs to Ralph Lauren golf apparel," and serves as a "de facto Mall of America for golfers." Items will "be branded 'Ryder Cup 2020'" because that is "when the tournament was supposed to be played until it was canceled." An exclusive that is free is "an opportunity to have your photo taken with the actual Ryder Cup trophy, Friday and Saturday in the pavilion." More free activities include having "your photo taken in the US Ryder Cup Team golf cart, Friday through Monday, and on Sunday a photo with" the NBA's Larry O'Brien trophy won by the Bucks this year. Whistling Straits has "been a host for major golf events in the past, including three PGA Championships," but the Ryder Cup is "bigger than anything it’s ever seen." The temporary infrastructure for the tournament is "around 1.3 million square feet, roughly double the square footage of the build-out for the 2015 PGA tournament" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 9/16).
TICKET PRICES LOW ON SECONDARY MARKET: In Milwaukee, Kaylee Staral notes while the event is "sold out," ticket prices on the secondary market are "at their lowest levels since they went on sale in April of 2019." As of yesterday afternoon, the cheapest tickets for a general admission Grounds Pass for the first day of play Friday "were $200 on StubHub." For Saturday, general admission tickets "were $210, and on Sunday, $190." Similar prices were "found on the SeatGeek ticket service." A representative from Ticket King said that there are "a lot of sellers right now," and that the service does not "expect prices to go up much in the next week." Ticket sales "surged in March of 2020 before the event was postponed to this September," according to data from TicketIQ (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 9/16).
