Thousands of people are descending on the Sandhills as the biggest names in golf get ready to tee up for the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2.
"We have such a special place here and for that to be on the world stage is a pretty big deal," said Natalie Hawkins, the president of the Moore County Economic Development Partnership.
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She says people have been walking around with a lot of U.S. Open merchandise, drinks, flying in or taking the train and when she sees that, she sees revenue to the county.
The tournament is expected to bring in around $200 million, according to Hawkins. The economic impact extends beyond the Village of Pinehurst and Moore County and is expected to spill into 26 counties total. Hawkins said that's because people will likely fly into Raleigh or Charlotte and could stay in one of those metros or any counties between there.
"The exposure of our community to a larger audience of visitors to people or people who might want to live here or bring their business here, that's what makes me excited," said Hawkins.
She says the community really benefits of hosting the tournament.
"We've been discovered," she said.
Moore county is the 10th fastest growing county in the state. Their population jumped 6.6% between 2020 and 2023, according to Census data. She says the increased population is a positive as it means that they're receiving more investments into the area.
"There's this build up to the Open in terms of the community -- making sure we've got road improvement plans completed and all of our ducks in a row and infrastructure in place," she said. "It elevates the quality of the community each and every time [we host the U.S. Open] and I think it makes it more attractive."