2 days ago
Channel 11 goes behind the scenes of U.S. Open merchandise tent
The massive merchandise tent at the Oakmont Country Club is packed with thousands of items for the U.S. Open. The interns at the merchandise tent gave Channel 11 an exclusive look at some of the best items for sale.
PHOTOS: U.S. Open gear you can get at the Merchandise Pavilion at Oakmont Country Club before the championship
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It included merchandise mix that showcased a new 125th U.S. Open look and some looks from previous years.
Anything from any era you want will be available in the tent.
Black and Gold items are also available to highlight the Pittsburgh culture.
Free big rubber golf balls, embroidered pillows and custom socks have all been designed to have an Oakmont theme.
If it rains, there are custom umbrellas available.
Straw hats with 'U.S. Open' written on the back can protect people from the sun.
The inside of the tent looks more like a mall and the organizers are prepared if merchandise runs low.
'We can replenish and reorder, we can look through, will do that. We'll look at the data to see how well sold we are - and we can order 10,000 more through the weekend. Then hopefully have enough left to the end, but you never know,' said Mary Lopuszynski, the USGA Sr. Director of Licensing and Merchandising.
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One of the most popular items is hats.
'We have over 100,000 hats in inventory. Headware is definitely our most popular item. For people who don't know the size of their friends, it's a lower price point,' Lopuszynski said.
Special merchandise with the USNDP logo goes to support the U.S. National Development program.
'Everything we sell there goes back to the team so we can have juniors, amateurs play on the national teams - we never had one in the u-s until about a year ago. There's also different elements to it where we make grants to kids who help them get to golf tournaments, equipment, that kind of thing," Lopuszynski said.
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