But crowd estimates as low as 9000 on Saturday, when tickets cost $175 each, left some guessing that the organisers had come up about $2 million short.
It was widely known that larger crowds were needed to make the venture break even after it paid Woods a $4 million appearance fee.
A bigger security bill after a cyanide threat against the Open also stung the organisers.
The loss will be borne by those who put up the seed capital for the event - a group of merchant bankers who include FR Partners' David Pool and Bill Birnie.
All the bills were covered, and caterers and suppliers will be paid.
Despite facing a sizeable cash loss, one of the men behind the venture was still smiling yesterday - even saying he would do it all again if Woods wanted to come back.
"Potentially, if he wanted to come back we would talk to his manager again. They had a good time," said Mr Pool, managing director of Open 2002.
Asked if he thought the Woods experience would put future visits by world stars in doubt, he said: "I don't think so.
"It's been a successful event for all the sponsors because they've gained a lot of exposure. People have been watching because Tiger has been playing."
But Mr Pool conceded that the economic environment since the events of September 11 made it harder to raise the money needed for such events.
His group had been lucky to secure sponsors before the terrorist attacks, he said.
People attending the Open yesterday offered a range of reasons for the lower-than-expected attendances. Some said the weather was the single biggest factor, but others mentioned hefty ticket prices.
Last week, the Herald spoke to several people who paid $40 to watch Woods before the Open began. Many said they would not be back because they could not afford the tournament fees of $110 (weekdays) or $175 (weekends).
Despite that, the Open attracted large crowds when compared to previous years, and Mr Pool had a positive sparkle yesterday.
"Tiger's the world's No 1. We brought him to New Zealand and that's a fantastic achievement. All of the crowd will tell you the same."
Leaderboard
Full coverage: NZ Golf Open 2002
Quick guide to the Open
The course
The players
Past winners
Timetable
Tickets
Off the course: news related to the NZ Open
