2008 U.S. Open Named Top Sporting Event By SportsTravel Magazine
November 5, 2008Far Hills, N.J. - The 2008 U.S. Open Championship, which concluded with a spellbinding playoff victory by Tiger Woods over Rocco Mediate in June at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, Calif., has been named the Sports Event of the Year by
SportsTravel magazine. In addition, the 108th U.S. Open captured the prize as the best Single-Sport Event of the Year.
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| Tiger Woods, right, and Rocco Mediate put on quite a show at the 2008 U.S. Open. (USGA Museum) |
The 2008 SportsTravel Award winners were announced at the TEAMS 2008 Conference & Expo held in Pittsburgh, Pa., the world's largest gathering of event organizers and travel planners from the sports industry. Bill McCarthy, USGA director of regional affairs for the Ohio Valley, was on hand to accept the awards.
"To be selected as the winner over such exciting events as a great Super Bowl upset victory by the New York Giants and a tremendous Kentucky Derby, we couldn't be happier with the way things turned out in San Diego," said McCarthy.
"On behalf of the USGA, I would like to thank SportsTravel Magazine for this award," added McCarthy. "And of course we owe a great debt of gratitude to two gentlemen - Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate - who gave us arguably one of the greatest finishes in U.S. Open history."
The SportsTravel Award winners were nominated and voted upon by readers of SportsTravel , the sports world's event magazine. Criteria for nomination and voting included superior organization of and attendance at the event; a superior experience for the competitors and/or spectators at the event; and how the site or venue served to enhance the event. Eligible events occurred between July 1, 2007, and June 30, 2008.
The ballot included nominees at the amateur, collegiate and professional levels in three categories each. Other Award winners included the 2007 NFL NFC Championship Playoff Series as the Best Professional Sports Event Series; the 2008 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championships as the Best Collegiate Sports Event Series; and the 2008 BCS National Championship Game between LSU vs. Ohio State as the Best Collegiate Single-Sport Event.
"We are pleased to recognize these superior sporting events. Each of the winners is a prime example of achieving excellence in organization and management for both competitors and spectators," said Timothy Schneider, publisher of SportsTravel magazine, which organizes the annual TEAMS Conference & Expo.
"The SportsTravel Awards program is an opportunity for our readers to honor their peers for a job well done," said Schneider. " SportsTravel readers are the leaders of the sports-event industry, and they really know what it takes to execute high-quality athletic events. These awards reflect their expert evaluation of what makes events superior."