Ryan: The USGA's lust for money is a bucket of pretense so full of rusty holes that all semblnce of validity has leaked out.
The US Open accounts for 80 per cent of the association's annual income. That has been the case for 100 years, and will be into the future. As you said, most of that money comes from the TV contract, which includes televising the Senior and Women's Opens, the Amateur and Women's Amateur, the Walker and Curtis Cups, and a "wild card" event every year. So while NBC tears down their equipment at Pebble, they're setting up at Oakmont, then on to Sahalee, etc. Shame on them for trying to maximize their ad revenue!
Meanwhile, The USGA conducting seven other national championships, financing the First Tee and hundreds of other golf development programs, funding turfgrass and environmental studies that improve your golf course, archiving and displaying the world's greatest collection of golf artifacts and books, testing, researching, and regulating equipment, etc, etc., etc. Oh, and paying salaries and benefits and providing a place to work for about 250 people, many of whom travel extensively. None of which provides positive cash flow. Shame on them for wanting to maximize the revenues on their only marketable venture. Just saying.