Even though he was the championship director for the 2005 U.S. Women’s Open at Cherry Hills Country Club, Doug Habgood won’t be at all upset if that tournament’s attendance record is broken this year.
In fact, he’ll quite enjoy it.
That’s because Habgood is now the executive director of the 2011 U.S. Women’s Open at the Broadmoor Golf Club in Colorado Springs, and as long as the Women’s Open attendance record is kept in the Colorado family, what the heck.
Habgood said Thursday that ticket sales for this year’s event are running slightly behind the record pace set in 2005, but he believes establishing a new standard is very possible when the Broadmoor’s East Course hosts the Women’s Open July 4-10.
“We’re definitely focused on breaking the record,” Habgood said of the weeklong total of 131,137 at Cherry Hills six years ago. “And we think it’s achievable.”
Both the Broadmoor and Cherry Hills, which will have hosted 16 USGA Championships between them by the end of next year, have proven to be great draws for major tournaments over the years. The 1995 U.S. Women’s Open at the Broadmoor, won by Annika Sorenstam, set a then-record with 96,000 spectators for the week. As noted, Cherry Hills in 2005 currently holds the Women’s Open attendance record. And the Broadmoor drew 128,706 for the 2008 U.S. Senior Open.
“When you look at both of those venues, people don’t have access to them day-to-day, so they want to come out and see the grounds and the competition,” said Habgood, who also was championship director of the 2008 U.S. Senior Open. “This is the Super Bowl of women’s golf, not an annual Tour event. This is the trophy they all want, and all of the best (women’s) players in the world will be here.”
And, in the Broadmoor’s case, it certainly doesn’t hurt that it’s a five-star resort and that it’s located in a spectacular setting at the foot of Cheyenne Mountain, below the Will Rogers Shrine.
One factor that will help increase attendance figures is that each ticketed adult can bring up to nine kids (17 and under) into the Women’s Open for free. Also, the front row of each grandstand will be reserved for youngsters, and a junior clinic will be hosted by defending champion Paula Creamer on July 5 at 2 p.m.
In addition, on the first day of tournament week, Monday July 4, active and retired military personnel with I.D. and their families will be admitted free. The rest of the week, the military will receive half-price tickets when using online or phone purchasing options (2011uswomensopen.com and 877-281-6736). With all the U.S. military establishments in the Colorado Springs area, that also should be a big draw.
With the LPGA Tour having an off-week prior to the U.S. Women’s Open, it’s a safe bet that competitors will arrive early for the biggest event in women’s golf. With that in mind — and grandstands and leaderboards needing to be set up — the last day before the tournament that the East Course will be open to the public is June 19.
The U.S. Women’s Open is obviously offering many varieties of ticket options. One that is an interesting approach packages four Trophy Club tickets for the week with a chance to play the Women’s Open course on Monday, July 11, with the same tee and pin locations and course conditions as the competitors dealt with in the final round. It can be yours for a mere $3,500 per foursome.
All told, the USGA plans to limit the number of spectators any given day of the tournament to 30,000.
While the folks at the Broadmoor hope to land the U.S. Women’s Open attendance record, one “first” they’ve already achieved is being the first U.S. Women’s Open with volunteers from all 50 states. With the recent additions of volunteers from Vermont and Alaska, the 2011 tournament recently hit the 50-state mark.
Overall, Habgood said that the championship already has more than 2,400 volunteers, which is 94 percent of the total it hopes to reach. Those still interested in volunteering can get more information and fill out an application on 2011uswomensopen.com.
