If you thought Philadelphia fans were eager for professional golf to come back to their city, you were right.
Fans who showed up at the Philadelphia Cricket Club on Sunday for the final round of the Truist Championship, the PGA Tour’s first visit to the area in three years and just the second since 2018, found that something was missing: The merchandise tent was closed on traditionally the second most attended day of an event.
Word had been spreading around Philly Cricket, itself hosting its first PGA Tour event ever, on Saturday, that the PGA Tour Fan Shop on site had run completely out of hats.
Then, in a “Know before you go” email sent to Sunday ticket holders late Saturday night, a notice was put at the bottom announcing the Fan Shop had experienced “a first-ever sell out of inventory” and would be closed for the final round.
A PGA Tour official confirmed to GOLF the fan shop closure, adding that a complete sellout of inventory at an event is “rare.”
“The enthusiasm from fans was evident not only in the sold-out crowds but also in the demand for tournament merchandise, with the PGA Tour Fan Shop experiencing record sales throughout the week and selling out of nearly every item — a clear reflection of the Philadelphia community’s excitement and support,” said Truist Championship Executive Director Joie Chitwood.
However, the tournament is not leaving fans who are at the course Sunday high and dry when it comes to snagging some commemorative swag.
Chitwood added that fans with Sunday tickets would be emailed an access code next week for 10 percent off Truist Championship gear at PGATOURFanShop.com. As of this writing, there were just 28 items in the Truist Championship collection on the site, many with the “Almost Gone” tag.
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It’s just another example of how starved the Philadelphia area is for championship golf. The area hasn’t had a regular PGA Tour event since 1980, although the game’s best will return to the area in 2026 for the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club and in 2030 for the U.S. Open at Merion.
Players have raved about the host this week, a 1922 A.W. Tillinghast design, despite playing just around 7,100 yards, and have pleaded for the Tour to play more classic northeastern gems.
Currently, the only regular PGA Tour stop in the northeast United States is the Travelers Championship in Connecticut.
“We were talking about it, within 100 to 150-mile radius of this place, I think there’s some of the best golf in the world,” said Tony Finau on Saturday. “I’d love to see the TOUR make a lot more stops here. This is definitely a good one.”
When and if they do bring more championship golf to the northeast, let’s hope they make more shirts and hats.
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