PEBBLE BEACH — As approximately 250,000 people descend on the Monterey Peninsula for the U.S. Open this week, safety will be among the top concerns of tournament officials.
According to David Stivers, president of Pebble Beach Co. and general chairman of the U.S. Open, the security measures for the U.S. Open are greater than those for the PGA Tour’s annual AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am tournament.
“In order for you to gain access to the championship grounds, you will have to have a ticket and you will go through security screenings” similar to those at an airport, Stivers said.
For a majority of fans, security screenings will take place miles away from Pebble Beach. Like the AT&T Pro-Am, the main parking will be at CSU Monterey Bay and fans will be screened before boarding shuttle buses.
“You’re dropped off in an already controlled area and from there you go and get your ticket scanned,” Stivers said.
The United States Golf Association, which conducts the tournament, has a list of prohibited items at the U.S. Open available at usopen.com/fan-info.html. While weapons and explosives are obvious, items including tablets and computers, cameras, selfie sticks, noise-producing devices, signs and posters, outside drinks and beverages, lawn chairs and step stools are also not allowed. Pets are prohibited from the championship grounds.
Purses that are 6-by-6-by-6 inches or smaller will be permitted as well as transparent plastic hand and shoulder bags that are 12 inches wide, 12 inches high and 6 inches in depth.
Capt. John Thornburg, a spokesman for the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office, recommended all fans check the list of prohibited items before heading to the tournament.
“I worked the last U.S. Open at Pebble Beach (2010) and one of the biggest things people got most upset about is they couldn’t bring their cellphones in,” he said.
The USGA will allow cellphone use at the U.S. Open this year, but phones must be set on silent.
There will be many ways to get into the U.S. Open and security screenings may vary if you take a shuttle in from Carmel, Monterey and Pacific Grove. Stivers said a few fans may come in via boat and anchor in Stillwater Cove.
“If you live in the Carmel area, you can also walk in through the Carmel gate,” Stivers said.
Cycling will not be an option to make it to the U.S. Open as Pebble Beach will be closed to all cyclists during the week of the tournament.
“That’s really for safety for bicyclists,” Stivers said. “There’s just way too many cars and way too many buses driving through the forest.”
In fact, 17-Mile Drive has been closed to all tourist vehicles since Sunday and will reopen Monday as a security precaution. Some fans who purchased premium ticket packages are being allowed to park at Pebble Beach, but all vehicles will be screened.
“All people get screened, all bags get screened, any cars that might be going into the championship grounds, like say a delivery truck, all those go through a screening process before they’re allowed access into the championship grounds,” Stivers said.
Jeff Altstadter, the USGA’s director of men’s championship communications, said the association does not discuss its security planning or process procedures. He said the USGA works “closely with our local, county, state, and federal law enforcement officials as well as our private security partners to create a safe and secure environment for our competitors and fans alike.”
Stivers said there’s a very large security team involved in the U.S. Open, that will be led on the law enforcement side by the Sheriff’s Office. Thornburg said the Sheriff’s Office will have quite a presence at the tournament, adding that it works closely with Pebble Beach Co. and the USGA.
“We have personnel that cover just about every contingency that could come up,” he said. “We just hope that people are patient, because it’s going to be heavy traffic, and we want everybody to enjoy themselves. In a perfect world, they don’t even see us.”
