EDMOND, Okla. (AP) - With snow on the ground and freezing winds blowing through the state, one may find it hard to imagine sitting on the golf course, watching a national tournament.
However, it’s less than six months until the Oak Tree National golf course in Edmond hosts the 2014 U.S. Senior Open, July 7-13.
Championship Director Jeff Ewing with the Bruno Event Team said tickets are selling well for the event. An exact number of tickets sold was not available as of press time.
“We’ve had a great response from the Oklahoma community,” he said.
It’s not just Oklahoma City metro fans buying tickets, Ewing told The Journal Record (https://bit.ly/1babMet ) Tickets have been purchased from fans in 30 different states and Canada.
He said ticket sales are on par with where they should be in correlation with the date of the event.
“We haven’t reached a sellout yet,” he said. “We anticipate this to be a large crowd.”
Edmond Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Ken Moore said the event has already started creating a buzz in the city.
“There’s a lot of excitement about the tournament,” Moore said. “It doesn’t come here that often, so we want to be a really good host so they’ll come back again sometime.”
Tickets are available in two forms: either a weeklong grounds pass, which includes access to the grounds and the bleachers; or a trophy club ticket, which includes access to the air conditioned sports club on the 16th hole.
The bleachers are seated on a first-come, first-served basis.
Besides selling tickets, the Bruno Event Team has been working on putting the final details on the overall parking and transportation plan with city and county officials. Ewing said people will be able to park close to the course.
A volunteer program is also in the works. Plans call for 30 volunteer committees. Ewing said volunteers are still needed for the event. In total, the championship will require about 3,000 volunteers.
Ewing said the championship in Edmond will be different than others because at least four players call the Oak Tree course home: Willie Wood, Scott Verplank, Gil Morgan and Bob Tway.
“They’re looking forward to opening their backyard to guys they’ve competed with for 20 years,” he said. “I’ve been doing this since 2002 and I haven’t been at a venue where we’ve had so many current and former players around the facility.”
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Information from: The Journal Record, https://www.journalrecord.com
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