Want to avoid being scammed buying last-minute PGA tickets? Here’s how

PITTSFORD, N.Y. Monday was the first practice round with round two Tuesday, and tickets for every single day for the PGA Championship are sold out.

Some fans that purchased tickets early are happy they did, but other fans are still looking for tickets. If you want to get tickets you can still get last-minute tickets without getting ripped off.

“I thought the ticket prices were fair, very fair for a major tournament,” Chuck Pine said.

Pine traveled from California to Oak Hill Country Club for the tournament. He purchased his tickets from the official PGA app early and believes he got a fair deal. However, there is one day he wishes he had purchased tickets for Sunday the final round. A week after the PGA launched ticket sales last summer tickets for the weekend tournament sold out.

“Probably about a week after we opened sales last summer we really only had Thursday, Wednesday, Tuesday and Monday tickets and so it’s an incredible spot for us to be in.”

It doesn’t come as a surprise to 2023 PGA Championship Director Bryan Karns. Another thing that’s not surprising? The resale of tickets on third-party websites going for twice and triple the price. There are even signs posted at local businesses selling tickets privately for more than the original cost of the ticket.

“You hate to see that, but I mean it’s the nature of the business,” Karns said. “You watched what happened with concerts. It’s the downside of our industry.”

These are the most sought-out tickets in town right now. The safest and best place to buy them online is from the on-location website. It’s the official and only approved secondary provider.

“What we want to do is provide people with a place where they can go and confidently sell, exchange, trade their tickets with other individuals that are looking,” Karns said.

Tickets at the on-location website range from $57 to $209 per person depending on the day of the week. Karns’ message to fans is to beware of third-party sites and people selling tickets online. You don’t know if these tickets are authentic.

Tickets on location are backed through the PGA of America. The PGA has new technology with its digital tickets. The QR code for each ticket refreshes every 60 seconds so you can’t even screenshot it and send it out.