SHEBOYGAN — Work is continuing to prepare Sheboygan County and much of southeast Wisconsin for an event that will draw tens of thousands of fans from all over the planet. The Ryder Cup is a golf event, but the influx of visitors will bring an impact felt well beyond the sports world.
Whistling Straits, just north of Sheboygan, hosted a “One Year Out” news conference this week, previewing the Ryder Cup. The match between the United States and European golf teams will be contested there in September of next year. The rainy conditions on the day pleased European team captain Padraig Harrington who quipped, “It looks like an Irish summer day out there.”
That type of weather would likely favor the team from overseas, but U.S. captain and Wisconsin native Steve Stricker is happy with the venue. “I'm very excited to have this opportunity to be here in my home state to try to help this team, to lead this team, and to try to win that cup back.”
David Kohler, president & CEO of Kohler Company, is feeling a lot of family pride. It was father Herb Kohler’s vision to have an event such as this when he built this course on the Lake Michigan shore. “This is the biggest event in the game of golf,” Kohler said. “It's one of the biggest sporting events in the history of Wisconsin, right here in our backyard. Wisconsin is going to come out.”
And not just, Wisconsin. Ryder Cup director Jason Mengel revealed ticket requests came from every state in the U.S. as well as 150 countries and territories across the globe. “When you think about the economic impact, $135 million, or the 500 million households that will have the opportunity to tune in to the Ryder Cup, it really is an impactful event for the state of Wisconsin,” Mengel said.
“I'm very excited to have this opportunity to be here in my home state to try to help this team, to lead this team, and to try to win that cup back.” — U.S. team captain Steve Stricker, a Wisconsin native
Beyond hotels and restaurants, Mengel expects Wisconsin businesses will have a chance to supply the event. Additionally, it will require about 1,300 paid temporary employees, with some positions lasting weeks. “The Ryder Cup is a great driver of opportunity,” Mengel said.
The registry for the ticket lottery is closed, but there are still some high-end, VIP-type opportunities. For more information on that, and all things Ryder Cup, click here.
