Among thousands of attendees, hundreds of kids attend U.S. Open for free

As 10-year-old Elsie Trombley walked into Oakmont County Club on Tuesday, she said she was excited for souvenirs, autographs and concessions at the U.S. Open.

“And golf,” her father, Matt, reminded her.

Visiting from Fox Chapel, Elsie was one of hundreds of children who are attending the U.S. Open for free with the USGA’s junior ticketing program.

The program allows children under 17 to attend the tournament with a ticketed parent for no charge during practice rounds, and children under 12 to attend with a ticketed parent during practice and championship rounds.

Matt said the ticketing process was quick and easy, giving his daughter the opportunity to see the best amateurs and pros in the world.

Brad Payne of Mt. Lebanon said he snagged the complementary tickets for his sons Brooks, 6, and Christian, 8.

The two boys were hoping to visit the driving range and nab some autographs, he said. Payne said his youngest son was excited to see his namesake Brooks Koepka.

With Wednesday practice round tickets priced at around $95 and resale championship tickets hovering near $300 on the low end, Payne said he welcomed the complimentary youth tickets.

“With everything being expensive today, it’s good to have two free tickets,” Payne said.

Upper St. Clair resident Mark Flisek said he’s a regular golfer, a pastime he said his sons Evan, 7, and Blake, 5, have grown interested in.

The three were hoping to enjoy a day in the sun, and like Trombley’s and Payne’s kids, score some signatures from the competitors.

“I think it’s a wonderful program,” Flisek said. “It gets juniors interested in the game.”

Children with free tickets made up around 3% of the more than 15,000 attendees at Monday’s practice round, according to Amanda Weiner, the USGA’s director of Global Media and Ticketing.

While the junior ticketing program is not new at the Open, Weiner said it has continually proved successful at getting younger audiences engrossed in the sport.

“We do think it’s helping grow the game,” she said. “We think exposing kids to our championships hopefully gets a club in their hands at some point.”

At the tournament, she said, the USGA also tries to cater to younger audiences with interactive activities like golf simulators at the traveling USGA Museum and putting greens. The Open’s autograph areas, Weiner said, are also set aside exclusively for kids.

Always one to avoid standing in line, Scott Gross said he was relieved the procedure for obtaining tickets involved “zero wait.”

The Mt. Lebanon resident said his daughters, Hadley, 12, and Finley, 9, had a little golf experience, but the Open was his first chance to introduce them to the world’s best players.

Thankfully, he said, it was free.

“It was as smooth as it could be; I was impressed,” Gross said.