Venue decision set to cost USGA $10m

The selection of Merion Golf Club for the 113th US Open was an expensive decision for the USGA.

The small size of Merion — just 111 acres — and its location in the heart of a well-populated suburb just miles from Philadelphia forced the USGA to limit ticket sales. According to Bloomberg Businessweek’s Michael Buteau, the USGA is set to lose $10 million (€7.5m) on the event.

In acknowledging history, the USGA is squeezing a 21st century event, its fans, sponsors and media into a course built 117 years ago. Merion, in suburban Philadelphia, is about half the size of last year’s US Open host, San Francisco’s Olympic Club.