Haverford Township official Mario Oliva says the U.S. Open tournament at Merion operated flawlessly with no issues and no arrests.
"Everybody was so patient; the traffic jams we were expecting never materialized," Oliva said.
Officials tell us the cleanup process will take several weeks, but the payoff arrived within just 7 days. Throughout the tournament week, Haverford Township and some surrounding towns saw millions of dollars in spending.
"$125-million were spent in the area in one week," Oliva said.
A portion of that mega-millions sum is money in the pockets of everyday people.
"We had people in Darby Road selling parking spots," Oliva said.
Restaurants like Gypsy Saloon on Ford Street in West Conshohocken were happy to see a spike in sales, but even more so, giddy to host celebrity guests.
Owner Kim Strengari had the pleasure of serving U.S. Open winner Justin Rose his championship feast last night.
"They had our lobster mac and cheese, chicken wings, strawberry salad," Strengari said.
Strengari says the party of six celebrated with Veuve champagne at a back corner table.
"He just couldn't stop glowing and beaming," Strengari said.
Rose tweeted a photo of his trophy serving as the centerpiece. Though she says the humble athlete was gracious and kind, he learned the names of the restaurant staff and felt bad about keeping the kitchen open past midnight.
"I just think a lot of athletes should maybe follow his lead because he knows how to do it, classy," Strengari said.
