Grandstand Seats At U.S. Open Reportedly Collapsing On Fans Due To Construction Mishap
The 2024 U.S. Open hasn't officially begun, but we've already got some drama on the grounds of Pinehurst No. 2, and it has absolutely nothing to do with the players themselves.
According to multiple reports and people on the grounds reaching out to No Laying Up's Tron Carter, seats in the grandstands are straight-up collapsing on fans after the construction company used screws that were simply too short in an effort to cut costs.
One fan attending the Monday practice round claimed that they witnessed a guy right next to them completely buckle in his seat with three screws falling out in the process. According to that person, one of the grandstands on the second hole was shut down due to seating issues.
A person in the Pinehurst Country Club Members Facebook group shared a similar story, explaining that their husband was at the tournament for one of the practice round days saying "numerous screws have failed causing the seat bottoms to drop. All screws should be tightened or there will be people getting hurt."
Even if a fan who sits down in a faulty seat avoids physical injury, their ego will undoubtedly take a beating. It's tough to imagine a worse scenario than walking up the grandstand stairs, spotting a seat, and you and your beverage immediately dropping to the floor in front of hundreds and hundreds of people. The getting up off the floor in that situation and the awkward walk that follows would be demoralizing.
I guess you would have the story of ‘hey, I went to the U.S. Open and a chair broke on me," but that’s not exactly the thing you want to brag about.
Pinehurst No. 2 should make for a fantastic major championship venue this week, but hopefully when the U.S. Open returns to the North Carolina course in 2029 the USGA won't skimp on screws to put the chairs together for fans paying top dollar to watch some golf.