Years of planning and preparation turns US Women’s Open into a spectacle

• By Jason Guarente/LNP | LancasterOnline

The moments Bryan Megee thinks about aren’t the ones seen on television. He imagines when the volunteers arrive or when fans take their first steps onto the course.

That’s when the past few years of Megee’s life, the countless hours of planning and developing, finally come into focus.

The United States Women’s Open, which tees off at Lancaster Country Club on Thursday, only lasts four days. Making it a spectacle takes much longer.

Megee is the championship director for the United States Golf Association. He concerns himself with every aspect of the tournament except golf.

“Anything that you see on site when you show up at a Women’s Open, outside the ropes, our team touches,” Megee said. “The fan experience is really what drives us.”

This event in particular is special to Megee. It will take place a short drive from his childhood home in Bethlehem Township and it has consumed much of his attention since the fall of 2021.

Megee lived in an apartment in Lancaster County during the earlier stages of preparation. He jetted back and forth from USGA headquarters in Pinehurst, North Carolina and spent between 75 and 100 days here last year.

This isn’t a pitstop. He knows the area well and has made connections within the community.

“We’re definitely temporary residents of Lancaster and we all love it,” Megee said. “The best thing, if you took a poll, is that the restaurants are incredible. It’s one memory I’m going to have.”

Megee and his team of eight full-time staff members oversee public safety, parking and transportation and other logistics. He coordinates with the club, Manheim and East Lampeter Townships, Discover Lancaster and the Chamber of Commerce to raise awareness about the tournament.

The volunteer program is at the core of Megee’s work. There will be more than 2,000 volunteers from 36 states on hand for the Open. The program reached capacity within five weeks of sign-ups and there was a waiting list of 500 people before it was closed due to high demand.

Megee called volunteers “the backbone of our championships.”

The Women’s Open that was held at Lancaster Country Club nine years ago is one of the most celebrated in the event’s 79-year history because of the fan support and positive feedback from everyone involved. That’s one reason the USGA came back after such a brief absence.

“We want as many people as possible on property to witness this,” Megee said. “It really is a historic championship and 2015 is still the benchmark that a lot of people in our organization talk about.”

Golf, interestingly, wasn’t Megee’s preferred sport as a kid. He enjoyed playing with his dad and brother, while soccer and distance running were his primary athletic pursuits at Notre Dame Green Pond High School. He later ran for DeSales College in Center Valley.

Megee started working with the USGA on the events planning side shortly after graduation and has been there for nearly 10 years.

Although you might think this job would be beneficial for Megee’s golf game, that’s not the case. There isn’t much time to squeeze in 18 holes. He said he’ll play 10-15 rounds each year, usually after the championship season ends in late summer.

Megee has played at Lancaster Country Club’s Flynn Course. He said he could card an 80 or 90 on a good day. Could he possibly make the cut at the Women’s Open?

“No chance,” he said with a smile.

That’s not his concern. The rough, the pin placements and everything else that takes place on those challenging 6,500-plus yards is someone else’s purview.

Megee said he will stick around for a few weeks after the trophy is lifted. Temporary structures must be removed and the course must be returned to the way it was found before preparation for the Open began.

Then it’s off to Erin Hills in Wisconsin for the 2025 tournament. That will be No. 80 and will also be highly anticipated. It won’t have the same kind of personal connection for Megee. There’s nothing like being close to home.

The moments Megee has been imagining are almost here. All those 16-hour work days will culminate with four rounds that pass by in a blink.

“You look back and reflect once that final putt drops,” Megee said. “You’re like, ‘OK, all those trips were worth it for this feeling. To see everything come to life.’”