You Can Still Get Tickets to the U.S. Open

When is a sellout not a sellout? When you’re the USGA and your premier event, the United States Open Championship, is “Back at the Black.” By John Craig

The USGA has announced that a limited number of tickets will be available to the general public for the 2009 tournament. But here’s the catch, you have to travel down to Long Island to get the tickets and it’s on a first-come, first-serve basis while quantities remain.

“This is a chance for the USGA to share more of the action at the 2009 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black with our New York fan base,” said USGA Executive Director David Fay in a release at media day May 4.

Here’s how it works

Traditionally, the U.S. Open has been sold out. Each year, the public can apply for tickets on-line and then a random drawing is conducted. However, the economy has taken its toll and the USGA got a lower-than-expected response in corporate sales. Those have been converted into general public tickets available on-site in Farmingdale, NY.

Beginning Thursday, June 11, one week before the tournament starts, people can buy tickets at the Will Call window at Bethpage State Park. Will Call is open from 10am-6pm through Sunday June 14.

Weekly Grounds packages are $400, daily championship tickets are $100 and daily practice round tickets are $40.

“Since it will be a number of years until the U.S. Open returns to the New York area, we hope that New York sports fans take advantage of the opportunity to be a part of the U.S. Open experience,” Fay said.

Freebies

If you think the price is high, you might look at it as two (or three) for one if you have young children. The USGA has a policy for kids under 13 to get in free, any day, when accompanied by a paid adult ticket holder. There is a maximum of two junior tickets per one adult ticket and those can be picked up at Will Call and all admission gates.

For kids ages 13 to 17, there is a reduced rate: practice rounds are $15, competition rounds are $30, when accompanied by a paid adult ticket holder.

Merchandise Tent

Coinciding with the ticket sales is the opening of the massive merchandise tent before U.S. Open week.

The 43,000 square foot pavilion will be open from Thursday, June 11 through Sunday, June 14. It boasts more than 500,000 pieces of merchandise from shirts and hats to ball markers and dog collars. The USGA says it’s an opportunity to beat the crowds.

Back to the Black

This is the second time in seven years that the U.S. Open will be at Bethpage State Park. In 2002, the Black Course earned the distinction of being the first municipally-owned golf course to host a U.S. Open. Then, it was a 7,214-yard, par-70 layout. Now, it’s 212-yards longer, at 7,426 yards, still par-70.

Originally, it was designed by A.W. Tillinghast and updated years later by Rees Jones.
Tiger Woods is a double-defending champion, winning in 2002 as the only man under par (three under). He also won last year’s U.S. Open in a playoff at Torrey Pines over Rocco Mediate out in California.

“It was a great atmosphere when we played in 2002, the fans were truly into it,” Woods said via conference call at media day on May 4. “I think everyone was having a great time. If you made a putt, people went crazy….it’s always fun to play in front of people who appreciate shots and are excited that the guys are playing well.”

Woods hasn’t seen the changes and did not reveal when he would visit Bethpage to play a practice round.

Woods is tied for the most USGA Championship titles, nine, with Bobby Jones. Woods has three Junior, three Amateur and three U.S. Open trophies.

Overall Entries

Tiger Woods is one of 63 golfers currently fully-exempt from having to qualify for the U.S. Open. But he still needed to pony up his $150 entry fee like anyone else who wanted to try and get into the field.

This year, a record 9,086 people filled out entry forms for a chance to qualify and possibly compete at Bethpage Black. The previous record was 9,048 entries for the 2005 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina.

The USGA says it received entries from golfers in all 50 states, Washington D.C., and 71 foreign countries.

Local qualifying will run from May 6-25 at 112 sites around the country. Sectional qualifying will be held at two international sites, Japan and England, on May 25 and 13 U.S. sites on June 8.

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