The "The Woman's U.S. Open Golf Tournament Has Arrived" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Talking to my boss at the framing gallery where I work about how he is going to get to work this week.  Seems he lives across from the Lancaster Country Club (LCC) and for the first time ever the U.S. Woman's Open is being played on the links of the LCC.  Quite an honor for the city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania to have such a prestigious golf tournament to be held in Amishland.  Lancaster has had a world-class golf course since architect William Flynn designed the original LCC in 1919, but we have never had any major events such as we are having this week.  The course did undergo a renovation in 2007, but not with the US Open in mind when it was done.  Months, even years ago, the LCC began preparing for this week.  I could have volunteered for the event it I had wanted to pay over $100 for that privilege.  I have quite a few friends who did volunteer and they are keeping me informed about what is going on during this week.  Practice rounds are scheduled for Monday thru Wednesday with the tournament scheduled for for Thursday thru Sunday.  Rain has been forecast for many of those days so we will see what happens.  Some of the numbers that have been thrown around in the past weeks are:

1. $25,000,000 is the amount the U.S. Woman's Open will bring to Amishland.
2. $4,000,000 in prize money will be awarded.
3. 100,000 fans will watch the event during the week.
4. 6,840 is the distance in yards from the tees to the holes on LCC golf course.
5. 2,350 is the number of volunteers who shelled out the money to have a chance to mingle with the women who will play in the golf tournament.  
6. 156 is the number of entries who will tee up for the event.
7. 350 is the amount of reporters that will cover the event.
8. 70 is the par for the course.
9. 18 is the number of hours of TV coverage for the Open.
10. 0 is the amount of days I will be in attendance at the Open.

OK, so you may wonder about my final number I have listed.  Well, golf just isn't my favorite sport.  I enjoy watching Jim Furyk when he is competing, since I had Jim as a student when he went to the school where I taught, and I used to enjoy watching Tiger Woods compete, since he has the same last name as I do, but other than those two reasons, I don't watch or play golf that much.  Come to think of it, I don't play golf at all.  Not since the time, back in the early 1980's, when I played with a friend and our two sons and ended up using two dozen golf balls and spending almost four hours on the golf course in 90 degree heat.  That was enough for me for a lifetime!!  I am proud to say that Lancaster is hosting this prestigious tournament and many will get to see what Lancaster is really like during this week of events, but it will not make me want to play golf again.  And as for my friend who lives across the street from the LCC, he has been upset for weeks that he will have trouble even getting out of his driveway in the morning to get to work at the gallery.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.