The PGA Tour (and its refund policy) is a joke.

The PGA Tour is a joke. From what I am hearing on the radio (credit to the caller who called in Mike'd up on WFAN in New York) tickets to the US Open for today cost $150 (and sadly that is not the worst offense I'm mentioning). As you might be aware it has been raining all day today in the NYC area. Here is where the joke begins.

Take a look at this note on the US Open's website (screenshot below):

U.S Open Tickets

Thursday tickets will not be refunded or exchanged. Play will resume Friday at 7:30 AM, weather permitting. Only Friday tickets will be accepted.

Are you serious? What PR genius came up with that policy? I'm sure there were a lot of kids who chipped in and got their fathers tickets as gifts for Father's Day. Way to go PGA Tour. Enjoy that cash...must feel like taking candy from a baby. There were 156 players in the field. Only 78 of them even made it to the course before rain came and stopped play for the day. But somehow people who bought tickets are out of luck? I'm sorry...even by New York standards that is highway robbery. We kill baseball teams, the Yankees in particular for opening their gates and taking hours before calling off a game because of rain while capitalizing on the concession sales but this is far worse.

I'm as big a golf fan as any around. But this sports and the organization that runs it just doesn't help itself. The "spectator guide" for the "People's Open" says:

No Cell Phones - including any cell phones with
photographic capabilities
No PDAs and/or other Portable E-mail Devices
No Cameras and/or Camcorders

For years it has been easy to crack a joke about golf and referring it to being nothing but out of shape, uptight white men. And well...lets just say that the PGA Tour seem to wanna do much about its reputation with one stupid rule after another. Here's a little P.R tip.....be more fan friendly. Simple concept...might wanna think about that.

Now I understand that you can only fit so many people on the course...and that is fine. Just refund the money to those who had tickets to today while accommodating as many as you can with tickets to tomorrow.

Mike Francesa is on the case now and promises to make it a big deal on his show tomorrow. Tune in. The biggest radio voice in the NY sports market will probably make the PGA crack a little bit on this otherwise the PR nightmare they face in this town this weekend will be around for a long time. Tune in tomorrow to Francesa's show on WFAN (660 am in NYC and surrounding areas), simulcast around the country on the Yes Network or wfan.com The show runs from 1:00 PM to 6:20 Eastern time.

Hopefully the PGA Tour smartens up tonight. Meanwhile if you were one of the people that tickets today (or even if you didn't) flood the PGA Tour with messages via twitter and other means.

The United States Golf Association
P.O. Box 708
Far Hills, N.J. 07931
908-234-2300
Fax: 908-234-9687

PGA Tour
www.pgatour.com
PGA TOUR 100 PGA TOUR Boulevard
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082
(904) 285-3700

PGA TOUR 126 East 56th Street
Suite 1600
New York, NY 10022

US Open
www.USOPEN.com
800) 698-0661.

Bethpage Black
(516) 249-0153)


P.S Looks like the Yankees heard Mike Francesa's US Open. They had been in a rain delay for 5 and a half hours. As you might know that the Yankees have been really strict this year when it comes to letting fans slip down below into the empty seats. Well shortly after Mr. Francesa's rant the Yankees announced at the stadium that fans could go down below and fill empty seats. Coincidence?




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