During the first round of the U.S. Open on Thursday at Chambers Bay, the course "proved to be a beautiful and uniquely challenging layout" for the players, and "especially for the fans," according to Bill Nichols of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS. The dramatic elevation changes "offer spectacular views of the Puget Sound, but the gnarly mounds are difficult to walk." Negotiating the "bumpy terrain and huge swarms of people ... was no easy task." But the "worst part of the long walk is that fans cannot really follow a group from hole to hole," as "scraggly areas are roped off, leaving very few places to walk." It can "take up to 15 minutes waiting for access to cross a fairway." By then, a certain group of players might be "putting out" and fans are left "scrambling to find them." Golfer Billy Horschel "empathized with the crowd problems." He tweeted, "Fans are having a hard time walking the course. They can barely see anything from outside the ropes. ... I would be pissed if I paid a lot of money for tickets and could barely see the top players hit golf shots" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 6/19). In Tacoma, John McGrath notes fans who had "planned on following a particular group soon realized the logistical obstacles that lurk from hole to hole." Lines for the grandstands at No. 9 and No. 18 "were reminiscent of Thanksgiving Eve" at Seattle-Tacoma Int'l Airport (Tacoma NEWS TRIBUNE, 6/19).
FAN FRIENDLY? In Tacoma, TJ Cotterill notes any available view of Tiger Woods’ group "was taken." The ropes "seemed to have little effect on the crowd following Woods’ journey from the first tee to the 18th green." Marshals were "simply overwhelmed." The USGA cellphone policy also "didn't seem to be [enforced] at all on the mass following Woods' group." Course marshal Mike Mathieus said, "It's been really hard to enforce. Our biggest concern is no interfering with the players. No interfering with the ball. Cellphones, I'm just going to tell them to put them away" (Tacoma NEWS TRIBUNE, 6/19). Also in Tacoma, Kari Plog notes cellphones "proved handy for spectators ... but for golf course officials they were an added nuisance." This is the "first year the USGA has allowed attendees to use their phones while on the course at the U.S. Open." Fans "loved the real-time scoring updates and player locators on the USGA's U.S. Open mobile app." Tournament volunteer Presley Page said that cellphone task force "planned to be lenient in the beginning ... but once it doled out enough warnings, people would face consequences" (Tacoma NEWS TRIBUNE, 6/19). The NEWS-TRIBUNE's Plog notes the main USGA merchandise tent "was jam-packed with people funneling through the narrow aisles of apparel and souvenirs." Despite the "apparent lines at attractions and concessions, people seemed pleased with how fast those lines were moving" (Tacoma NEWS TRIBUNE, 6/19).
BE OUR GUEST: In Seattle, Coral Garnick notes companies and organizations around the Puget Sound area "have pulled out all the stops" for the tourney, spending "hundreds of thousands of dollars to host partners, current and potential customers, and employees in corporate hospitality tents sprinkled throughout the course." Microsoft has "a device bar, and then there is the wine bar, where hundreds of glasses are being poured" for the Washington State Wine Commission (WSWC). There are 27 corporate tents that are "clustered in groups on the course with Pacific Northwest village names -- Evergreen, Cascade and Rainier." MSG Promotions President & CEO Mimi Griffin, whose handles corporate hospitality sales at the U.S. Open, said that each company "paid between $130,000 and $235,000 for the tent, basic decorations and 50 to 100 tickets." That leaves "catering, lodging and transportation up to companies." As a smaller organization, the WSWC "went in on the more expensive platinum tent with Delta Air Lines and Visit Seattle." Even though the WSWC’s portion "was only $120,000, the organization spent upward of $320,000 to host guests." A group of six local BMW dealerships "also went in on a platinum tent" along the 18th hole. All 16 of the smaller gold-level tents and the 11 larger platinum-level tents "were sold by last November" (SEATTLE TIMES, 6/19).
HIGH-PRICED FUN: In Seattle, Geoff Baker reports resale ticket prices "are on pace to potentially make Sunday’s sold-out final round of the U.S. Open the most expensive ever." SeatGeek Content Analyst Chris Leyden said that the "average resale price of a $125 gallery pass stood at $236 when play opened Thursday at Chambers Bay." That is "2½ times the $95 price for a gallery pass a year ago, when the tournament was held at Pinehurst." SeatGeek "began tracking the U.S. Open" in '11 and "says the most expensive day ever" came when the Friday round at Merion in '13 averaged $265 per ticket. The "cheapest day to attend this year’s event was Thursday, with prices averaging $135." Friday’s round "was $183, while Saturday was $208." Leyden said that the "overwhelming number of fans buying tickets hail from Washington and Oregon." But he added a “surprising” 11% come from Canada. By noon Thursday, the "average price of tickets already sold for Sunday’s finale was $247 on the StubHub resale site." StubHub Communications Specialist Cameron Papp said that price is the "second-highest Sunday average recorded by StubHub behind $261 for the final round" in '13 (SEATTLE TIMES, 6/19).
