Greater Long Island coverage is funded in part by Toresco & Simonelli, a boutique injury and family law firm in West Islip. They fight for their clients. Click here to get in touch.
The grandstands weren’t the only things packed at Bethpage Black for the Ryder Cup Friday morning — the roads were, too.
By 6 a.m., Hempstead Turnpike and Merritts Road in Farmingdale looked more like parking lots, turning a quick three-mile trip to the course into a frustrating, hour-long crawl.
“This is unbelievable,” one passenger on the media shuttle from Farmingdale State College was overheard saying. “I needed to be there for the first tee shot and now I’m going to miss it.”
The gridlock got so bad that some people hopped off their shuttle buses mid-route and walked the rest of the way. Fans in Ubers and Lyfts did the same, bailing out along Route 135 before the official ride-share lot and continuing on foot.
And once they made it to the gates, they faced another wait. Tightened security — with TSA agents, metal detectors, and bomb-sniffing dogs — slowed the lines even more. President Donald Trump is expected at the tournament Friday, adding to the precautions.
Trump was expected at the course this morning. (Update: Air Force One appeared in the sky just after 11 a.m., flying directly over the 16th hole to cheers.)
Organizers expect more than 50,000 fans at Bethpage Black Friday, with even bigger crowds through the weekend.
Scroll down for photos of the security in place for Trump’s arrival.
[Correction: An earlier plane photo we shared was incorrectly identified as Air Force One.]
Top: Air Force One arrives overhead for the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black at 8:43 a.m. Friday, Sept. 26, in Farmingdale, N.Y. (Credit: Andrew Rappaport)
