Broadmoor expects record crowd for U.S. Women's Open

Watch out, Cherry Hills. The Broadmoor is gunning to break your attendance record.

Ticket sales have been so strong for the U.S. Women’s Open, scheduled for July 7-10 on the famed East Course, tournament organizers predict the prestigious event could top the high-water mark of 131,000, set in 2005 at Cherry Hills Country Club outside Denver.

Two ticket packages, the $425 all-access Penrose Pass and the $150 weeklong, grounds-access Season Pass are sold out, and sales at www.2011uswomensopen.com remain brisk even after the holidays, with the cheapest option, the $45 daily grounds ticket, still available.

U.S. Women’s Open executive director Douglas Habgood anticipates 10,000 kids passing through The Broadmoor – children 17 and under get free admission with a ticketed adult, and their vouchers can be accessed on the tournament’s website. He also hopes for a solid military presence, given the 50 percent discount for active duty and retired personnel.

Marketing for the LPGA major, which carried a $3.2 million purse last year when Paula Creamer won at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club, began shortly after The Broadmoor hosted the U.S. Senior Open in August 2008. And the response is encouraging, Habgood reports, with the U.S. Women’s Open having sold 87 percent of its corporate hospitality packages and signed up 2,054 volunteers from 48 states, in need of about 450 more by Feb. 1.

“Our goal is to create a legacy for this town to remember,” Habgood said. “Unlike in ’08, when we had another event right around the corner, we don’t know when the next one is coming. It’s our job to put on a good show, so people talk about it the way they talk about 1995,” when Annika Sorenstam won the other U.S. Women’s Open at The Broadmoor.

Habgood said ticket sales are “tracking ahead” of Cherry Hills, and he noted that “around the Masters (in April) is when people stop thinking about skiing and start thinking about golf, and that’s when it gets a little bit wild around here.” He added, “If you’re planning to come, it’s a better idea to buy (tickets) now. … Once that quantity is gone, it’s gone.”

The U.S. Senior Open attracted 129,000 fans to The Broadmoor, and the U.S. Women’s Open will play as a par 71, as the U.S. Golf Association adds bunkers and adjusts spots of several tees. The East Course may even become the longest U.S. Women’s Open layout, eclipsing the 6,789-yard Interlachen Country Club in Edina, Minn., in 2008, and the 17th hole (nearly 600 yards) has the look of the longest par 5 in U.S. Women’s Open history.

Tournament officials estimate the U.S. Women’s Open will bring an economic impact of more than $25 million to the Pikes Peak region. “This is by no means a secondary event,” Habgood said, “where we are having to recruit some of the top players. We’re basically assured the best players in the world will be here because this is the one they want.”

“This is a social event more than anything,” Habgood added. “If you don’t know what a birdie and a bogey are, that’s OK. Come out, and have a good time with your friends, and enjoy a good day at The Broadmoor. … The product is a great fit for Colorado Springs.”

U.S. WOMEN’S OPEN

When: July 7-10

Where: The Broadmoor, East Course (par 71)

Field: 156 players

Format: 72-hole stroke play. The players with the 60 low scores (and ties) after the first two rounds, plus anyone within 10 shots of the leader, make the third and fourth rounds.

Purse: $3.2 million, with $585,000 to the winner

Tickets: Range from the $45 daily grounds ticket to the $250 weeklong, VIP access Trophy Club package, with a four-pack of any-day tickets for $140 and a holiday promotion, featuring two any-day tickets, two ticket lanyards, a hat and a program voucher in a souvenir box, for $89. Kids 17 and under are free with a ticketed adult, and their vouchers can be accessed at www.2011uswomensopen.com. Active-duty military and retired personnel receive a 50 percent discount on select ticket options. Parking is free all days. To order tickets in person, visit a King Soopers store. To order online, visit www.2011uswomensopen.com. To order on the phone, call TicketsWest at 877-281-6736.

More info: Visit www.2011uswomensopen.com or call 719-633-6736