Friday, August 03, 2012

In 2013, the Cox Classic Moves to Berkshire Weekend?

Tom Shatel reported yesterday that next year's Cox Classic is moving to the spring to avoid the Senior US Open...specifically the first weekend in May.  He talked about how the party would change with it running on the same weekend as the Kentucky Derby.

That's all fine and good...but it won't be the big thing in Omaha that weekend.

The first weekend in May is the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting.  Hotels and restaurants in town are jammed as upwards of 40,000 shareholders come to experience Omaha.  That's probably not a big deal for the golf course, but how would Omaha handle two major events simultaneously?  Sure, Omaha hosted the Olympic Swim Trials and the College World Series simultaneously this year, but that was a combined crowd of 37,000.  Berkshire Weekend is an all-weekend party, much like the Cox Classic...and the Berkies outnumber the combined swim and baseball attendance by themselves.

I don't know what the hotel requirements are for the Cox Classic, but hotel rooms are in short supply during this weekend.  Flights out after the event will also be an issue as the Capitalists will be departing at the same time as the golfers.

Maybe that's the only opening on the tour next season, but other than during the College World Series, I'm not sure you could find a worse weekend to move the golf tournament to.

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