The 2011 US Open starts today, June 16th at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, MD.
An Unpredictable Field
Golf enthusiasts, analysts, and betters alike are all saying one thing about this year’s golf show-down: it’s wide-open. With many of golf’s big names playing badly and with Tiger Woods out of the picture, it’s anybody’s guess who will take the cake in Maryland this weekend.
The lack of a clear front-runner or group of front-runners at the Open is not something to which golf fans are accustomed. During what might be called the “Tiger Woods era,” from 2000-2006, fans knew what to expect from major championships. During those 6 years, Tiger won 11 of the 28 major championships and multiple-major-winning athletes took a good portion of the rest.
Ernie Els is one of several big-name players who have been struggling this season.
However, this year the injured Tiger will be absent and big-name golfers like Veejay Singh and Ernie Els haven’t been playing well. Some fans are placing their bets with the hungry lefty, Phil Mickelson, who has been runner up at the US Open 5 times. Others wonder if Luke Donald, Graham McDonald, Lee Westwood or any number of decent golfers could end up at the awards table.
Saturday is the Most Popular Day for Tickets
Though the 4 day championship culminates in a final, decisive round on Sunday, SeatGeek’s ticketing data proves that fans are more interested in watching Saturday’s festivities first-hand. The overall average ticket price for Sunday is $143 while Saturday’s is $158. Especially in the beginning of June, Saturday’s ticket prices rose steeply, increasing to a rate far above Sunday’s. The price for tickets for Sunday has remained relatively even, even dropping below Friday’s daily average in the last few days.
Saturday's tickets have been selling for the highest average price.
There are several reasons why the Sunday final is not attracting the same level of buyer attention as Saturday. For one, as Sunday is the last day of the weekend, any golf fan traveling to the Open will most likely want to get an early start home. Fans are also generally less inclined to attend a major event like this on a Sunday with the work week looming. Finally, in the golf world Saturday is known as “moving day” — the day when players in the Open establish their spots in Sunday’s final. Often, by the end of Saturday, fans can make a good guess as to Sunday’s outcome.
Guaranteed Entertainment
This year’s US Open is sure to provide golf fanatics with exactly what they are looking for — excitement and good golf. The wide-open nature of the 2011 Open should make the event even more riveting than years past. Furthermore, the US Open is filled with dynamic and entertaining characters that should add excitement to the tournament. Sixteen-year-old Beau Hossler will be the championship’s second youngest competitor ever and Rickie Fowler’s wardrobe never fails to impress.
No matter which of this year’s hopefuls prevails, the 2011 US Golf Open is certain to be a thrilling show of golf expertise.
Fans can find last-minute US Open tickets here at SeatGeek.
