David Fay's Spending The USGA's Newfound Millions: U.S. Open For Chicago Golf Club, Senior Women's Open & No More

Former USGA Executive Director David Fay says the USGA's new television contract starting in 2015 will boost TV revenue from $37 million a year to $93 million, which means it's time to give back to someone other than hedge fund managers.

That's $56 million a year to play with and you'll be shocked to know he'd mostly put it to bread-and-butter stuff like helping state and regional golf associations, college aid and making the Green Section more affordable to public facilities.(How about free?)

He makes no mention of bumping the U.S. Open purse, which now has to go to $10 million after the PGA of America's move last week? But with the other $54 million Fay would help Fox Sports one not make total fools of themselves in televising their first golf tournament at the 2015 U.S. Open.

• Establish, beginning in 2015, a Senior Women's Open Championship. Every other USGA individual championship (Open, Amateur, Junior, Mid-Amateur, Senior Amateur and Public Links) has a women's equivalent. For years, USGA representatives (me included) danced around calls for a women's equivalent to the Senior Open, mostly for money reasons. The first men's Senior Open was played in 1980 at Winged Foot, barely one year after the decision was made to create the championship. Playing the 2015 Senior Women's Open in May would have the benefit of allowing FOX a test run of a 72-hole stroke-play championship before its first U.S. Open broadcast. Set the purse at $1.5 million (about half the current Women's Open purse). Inaugural site possibilities? How about North Carolina's Pine Needles (site of three Women's Opens) or its sister course across the street, Mid Pines?

And there was this...

• Increase the fee paid to clubs that host USGA amateur-only championships. The cost of running a first-class, weeklong competition at a highly regarded facility is steep, and the inconvenience to the club is considerable. Most sites end up stuck with a net loss, and special assessments to cover the loss are not unusual. For years, the USGA has paid a host club $50,000 to help defray expenses ($75,000 to a site requiring two courses). It's past time to increase the rental fee, and doing it by 25 percent across the board seems reasonable.

This will probably serve as a revealing anecdote to most Golf Digest readers who never could have imagined the USGA would not help an amateur championship host course break even on the week.

While Fay's a little stingy in the site-rental fee bump he'd offer (25%!?), it's something. But The National Golf Links should never have to sell corporate tents to break even on the Walker Cup. Never!