One of golf’s most prestigious tournaments takes place this week as the 125th U.S. Open returns to the Oakmont Country Club, just outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Already open to the public, the branded merchandise tent spans 35,000 square feet and holds half a million items, CBS News reported. Powered by Fanatics, the merch features some throughlines based on the club, location and Father’s Day (this Sunday) and includes collabs with many popular brands, such as Nike, Adidas, Ralph Lauren and vineyard vines.
The United States Golf Association’s merchandise team includes 17 people from the organization’s New Jersey headquarters, 23 interns, 250 sales vendors and 1,100 volunteers, TribLIVE.com reported.
Interns began setting up the tent five or six weeks ago, according to Mary Lopuszynski, senior director of licensing and U.S. Open merchandising at USGA.
- Lopuszynski told TribLIVE.com she believes this year has had the second-best pre-championship sales in U.S. Open history.
- Hats are probably the most popular item sold during the tournament, she said.
Oakmont’s adorable squirrel mascot can be seen on many apparel items and even as a few stuffed animals, some of which are already sold out. There are multiple different stuffed animals to choose from, which will be popular with kids and adults alike, especially with the recent Jellycat craze, where adults are collecting the whimsical stuffed animals.
The U.S. Open also highlights the Oakmont County Club’s storied history with the tournament via vintage style designs like cross-stitched baseball caps and old-timey posters. Logos from years past can be seen on different apparel items, which are sure to be scooped up by collectors.
The U.S. Open is also paying homage to its host city with gold and black merch, which can be seen in patterned shirts by Peter Millar. There’s even a U.S. Open-themed Pittsburgh Penguins jersey and black-and-gold-themed golf balls for sale.
As always, the U.S. Open ends on Father’s Day, and this year the merch tent offers a line of hats with “Pops” on it. This hat comes from the brand G/FORE, which provides trendy merch targeted at fashion-forward attendees.
- The least expensive item available is a ball marker for $2 and the most expensive item is a pair of Maui Jim sunglasses for $429, TribLIVE.com reported.
