Getting there
By air—Monterey Peninsula Airport (MRY)
Created in 1936, MRY is a 498-acre facility serving as a “Medium Non-Hub” airport. American Eagle, Allegiant Air, United Airlines, and US Airways are some of the airlines servicing MRY. With based aircraft, it has 211 hangars and tie-downs, and 55 business tenants.
By Land—Main Parking Lot at California State University-Monterey Bay in Marina, CA
• Traveling southbound on CA-1: take the 12th Street exit (407) and follow signs to the parking lot
• Traveling northbound on CA-1: take the Imjin Road exit (407) and follow signs to the parking lot
• Shuttle service is free and will operate from 5 a.m. until 10 p.m. The shuttle will drop guests near the main entrance to the U.S. Open.
Tickets
At this point, many advance tickets are sold-out leaving golf fans with few options. But, for those of you still looking to make the trip to Pebble Beach this June, here are a few tips.
Corporate Hospitality—available by calling 610.814.6101.
For individual tickets, visit the United States Golf Associations’ website at
www.usga.org/tickets.
Memorable Moments
With four previous U.S. Open Championship games and 10 USGA Championships played at the Pebble Beach Golf Links, the course has some history. In 1972, golf great Jack Nicklaus sealed a victory with one of the most talked about shots in the history of the sport. On that fateful day, wind taunted players, forcing them to make strategic shots. Nicklaus, for his part, closed a birdie shot on the par-three 17th hole after his ball hit the flagstick and rolled to a stop five inches from the cup.
During the Championship round in 1982, Tom Watson battled Nicklaus for victory over the reigning champion and the links. Watson won the match with a birdie on 18, but it was his shot on the 17th hole that cemented his win; with his ball lying 16 feet from the cup, Watson chose his sand wedge, a winning move that sent his ball straight into the hole.
During the 1992 Championship rounds, Tom Kite came from behind to beat Colin Montgomerie and Jeff Sluman after a game-changing shot on 7. With the wind throwing shots off course, Kite took his 60-degree wedge and pitched his ball straight into the hole—from the rough, no less.
And who could forget the 2000 round, when Tiger Woods won his first U.S. Open Championship. Woods, who scored a 67 on the last day, tied the record for the lowest 72-hole score ever in the national championship (272), and bested his nearest competitor by 15 strokes.
