There were plenty of media exhortations to beat the crowd and get to the Torrey Pines U.S. Open merchandise tent while traffic was light and entrance was free last Thursday through Sunday. That, no doubt, helped merchandise sales outstrip all past tournaments in the four pre-tournament days.
One sales spike came Thursday from the unexpected arrival at closing time of singer Justin Timberlake's family. Their spending spree reportedly racked up several thousand dollars in U.S. Open clothing and souvenirs. But at the Golf Digest U.S. Open Challenge the next day, Timberlake played wearing his signature black derby of late – no U.S. Open monogram in sight.
Yesterday, numerous spectators showed up to follow Tiger Woods as he played an early nine holes. When he left the course about 10:30 a.m. there was such a boom in merchandise sales that officials had to summon several interns and three leadership team members from other duties to handle the cash registers.
Behind the green . . .
It's not just golfers who are part of the scene. Football greats Charlie Joiner and Junior Seau, hoops star Bill Walton, skateboarder Tony Hawk and soccer star Shannon MacMillan were at the golf tournament kickoff banquet Saturday as U.S. Open honorees. . .
Talk about a tough course. The par value assigned to the Torrey Pines South Course in its U.S. Open configuration is 71. Yet a Southern California Golf Association committee rated it the other day. They concluded it played to a 79.7 par. If the par were adjusted upward, a scratch golfer would be allowed eight more strokes. That should salve some feelings – and help explain why Tiger Woods said a golfer with a 10 handicap couldn't break 100 on a U.S. Open course.
Fireworks fizzle
A Fourth of July with no fireworks?
That's what's happening in Chula Vista, where city budget cuts have taken away the bayfront pyrotechnic display and the Celebrate Chula Vista festival that accompanies it.
Although jointly sponsored by the city, Chula Vista Chamber of Commerce, ConVis and San Diego Unified Port District, the $75,000 show and celebration have been primarily paid for by the city, which provides traffic control and money to the chamber and ConVis.
The display was axed last December, but it wasn't highly publicized. Now a few tempers are flaring.
David Poret, who runs the Chula Vista Marina, said many guests made vacation plans and booked dock space at the 552-slip marina for the show.
“To jerk this out from under us with no advance warning, and to inconvenience all the guests and tourists coming to town, is unacceptable,” Poret said.
Likewise, at the neighboring Chula Vista RV Resort, manager Andrea La Valley said many of her 237 guests book a year in advance for July 4. La Valley mailed letters Thursday advising guests of the fireworks cancellation and urging them still visit for other festivities at the resort. She is worried that without a stepped-up police presence in the adjacent park, the July 4 picnic crowds could get out of control.
Dan Forster, Mayor Cheryl Cox's chief of staff, says the city had to cut $25 million this year, calling it a choice between fireworks and jobs. While the cuts occurred in December, he acknowledges that most of the attention was focused on layoffs of seven fire dispatchers and the possible closing of a fire station.
A chamber employee said substitute funding was discussed, but too much needed to be raised in too short a time.
Fireworks aren't in the picture next year either, said city spokeswoman Liz Pursell. She hopes they can be reinstated in the future.
Diane Bell's column appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Fax items to (619) 260-5009; call (619) 293-1518; e-mail to diane.bell@uniontrib.com; or mail to The San Diego Union-Tribune, Box 120191, San Diego 92112-0191.
