The tenth edition of the Presidents Cup will be held this week at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio. Team USA holds a 7-1-1 advantage in the series and the outlook for an International Team win this year is not good.
The PGA Tour does not own any portion of the four major tournaments that are contested each year. Even though, the Players Championship is wholly owned by the PGA Tour and provides the richest purse for the tour members, it is still not considered a major.
The Ryder Cup is owned by the PGA of America, not the PGA Tour, and The R&A of Europe. The PGA Tour has tried to create a cash cow that could imitate the riches generated by the Ryder Cup every two years.
Dublin is an upscale suburb of Columbus which is famous for Urban Meyer and Ohio State football. Jack Nicklaus grew up just a stone’s throw south of Dublin in another well-to-do suburb, Upper Arlington.
Dublin and the Columbus area are about to receive an economic windfall of epic proportions.
Steve Mona, CEO of the World Golf Federation, is projecting a $40-50 million economic impact to Columbus and the Central Ohio region.
Presidents Cup ticket sales are sold out and 35,000 spectators will attend the Presidents Cup daily, Thursday-Sunday. That adds up to 140,000 hungry and thirsty golf fans that will need a lot of hot dogs, cold drinks and souvenirs.
Dublin and Central Ohio are going to be center stage in a lot of homes around the world over the next few days. NBC and its outlet the Golf Channel will provide over 70 hours of television coverage live from the Presidents Cup. They will reach over 600 million homes in over 200 countries.
Tourism is one of the central Ohio’s greatest job generators. Buckeye football and basketball create millions of dollars in hotel and restaurant revenue for the city. The Columbus Blue Jackets of the NHL and the Columbus Crew MLS professional soccer team also funnel dollars to the local economy.
Golf is doing its part to help the Columbus area economy. The Memorial Tournament held each June and now the Presidents Cup, both contribute millions to local coffers.
Tourist spending in central Ohio is over $7.2 billion annually. This helps reduce the local tax burden on each family in Franklin County by $1,900.
Local residents will have to suffer through traffic jams and longer lines at their favorite dining establishment this week, but for Jack Nicklaus and an event like the Presidents Cup, it is worth it.