Pinehurst expects to cash in on U.S. Open Championships

The bar won’t be completely ready by then, but he didn’t want to miss the exposure the U.S. Open Championships will bring.

“The beauty is, we'll get all the kinks out during a period when people probably won't hold you to as high of a standard,” he said. “There's a lot of people coming here in the next two weeks. More than any other U.S. Open because you have the women and men back to back.”

This year’s Open will be historic as the men’s and women’s tournaments will be played in back-to-back weeks for the first time, something Pinehurst Mayor Nancy Roy Fiorillo hopes will lead to a big payoff for the Moore County village.

“The estimate of economic impact is upward of $16 million dollars,” she said.

The Pinehurst Area Convention and Visitors Bureau estimates the statewide impact at $169 million.

Fiorillo, along with Pinehurst Resort Executive Vice-President Tom Pashley, also hope the exposure will bring people back to the area.

“After the opens, everybody is going to see it on TV and want to come back and play the golf course,” he said.