Open vs. Masters

Some of my envious golf friends often ask me what’s the difference in going to the U.S. Open versus The Masters. That’s kind of like asking a bachelor to critique the difference between Scarlett Johannson and Jennifer Garner. Both are plenty fun to look at.
But as a spectator, there are a couple of huge differences between golf’s first two majors of the season. The first involves food. At The Masters, it’s okay to come to the course hungry. At the U.S. Open, not so much.

At The Masters, classic southern delicacies as egg salad, pimento cheese or ham and cheese sandwiches are a bargain at $1.75 or so. A coke is $1.25. Here at this 106th Open at Winged Foot, a similar pastrami and swiss or corned beef on rye will run you $7.50. A hot dog is hardly a bargain at $6. For the frugal out there, there is a cookie for $2. And thirst is another issue. Getting drunk at $6 a beer can be expensive. A bottle of water at $3 or a coke at $3.50 is probably a better idea.

The Open does have the edge in where you are. Most of the time it’s near a major city, this week 20 miles outside New York City. In the last 10 years, the Open has visited venues near San Francisco, Washington, D.C. and Detroit.

Compare this to the Northeastern Georgia truck stop that is Augusta, where your biggest decision or where to go afterwards involves a coin flip between Chili’s and Cracker Barrel.

One thing the two events do share is a massive “Greed is good’’ merchandising operation. Augusta National has a smaller store that is constantly full from the moment practice rounds open as “patrons’’ haul big after bag of Masters-logo apparel to friends and family back home. Here at the Open, there’s a tent half the size of the Superdome that will sell you everything from a ball marker for $2 to a cashmere, Open-logo golf vest for $400. The amount of cash this place generates is so great even Haliburton is envious.

Don’t get me wrong. I’ll never complain about covering either tournament. But if you go to both, understand the differences and you’ll enjoy both a lot more.