Both 2014 opens have got their number: 2.(Triangle)

United States Golf Association Executive Director David Fay doesn't know exactly how much his organization will save by holding the men's and women's U.S. Open golf tournaments in Pinehurst on back-to-back weeks in 2014. It has never been tried before, and questions loom about the best way to market and sell the events.

But he doesn't mind admitting that thrift factored into the decision. Having the events a week apart on Pinehurst No. 2 means the USGA can use the same tents, ropes, grandstands, drink stands, portable toilets and other equipment. The Far Hills, N.J.-based organization reported spending more than $80 million to run 16 tournaments last year, up from nearly $73 million in 2007. The men's and women's Opens represent the largest chunks of that spending.

Fay and USGA Executive Committee Vice President Jim Hyler Jr., former vice chairman and chief operating officer of Raleigh-based First Citizens BancShares, say the idea of holding the events in the same place didn't come up until February. "We needed an outstanding site for '14, and we didn't have one," Fay says. "We love the course. We love the area. So it was a matter of going through an exhaustive set of questions to figure out whether we could pull this off."

The golf doubleheader will allow the USGA to package tickets and hospitality tents, Fay says. The organization isn't yet sure how it will proceed. But "we'd be nuts not to take advantage of it in some creative ways." One way it already has taken advantage of the decision is by generating excitement for the women's event. The selection of a site for the women's Open usually doesn't create much of a buzz.

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Pinehurst was the natural place to experiment, USGA officials say. Because of its sandy soil and sturdy Bermuda grasses, the course should hold up for two consecutive weeks of play. The Donald Ross design also factors in. It's not a particularly long course, so the USGA won't have to do much tweaking to prepare it for the women. "We knew that if we were ever going to do this, Pinehurst is the best place to do it," Hyler says. Additionally, Reg Jones, the USGA's managing director of U.S. Opens, lives in Moore County and formerly worked as Pinehurst Resort's championship management director.

Locally, it means the resort will put its signature course off limits for most of June 2014. Still, President Don Padgett II is excited that No. 2 will become the first course to host all five of the USGA's major championships. "It makes golf history. We're humbled and honored to try this concept."

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