Atlanta Daily World

UGA Must Find New Site For National Golf Tourney

CHICAGO (ANP)—It's now official. The United Golfers Association will not hold its annual national tournament in Las Vegas, Nev.

It had been rumored for some weeks that the Moulin Rouge hotel in Las Vegas, sponsor of the 1956 tournament, had closed. Last week Mary Campbell, recording secretary of the UGA, had a letter from Martin Black, director of public relations at the hotel and Martin said, "please be advised that the hotel has ceased operations as of last week. Therefore, it is impossible for us to continue plans to hold the 1956 national tournament in Las Vegas."

With Las Vegas removed as the site of the 1956 tournament, the Executive committee of the UGA is slated to hold a meeting soon to examine bids submitted by other cities.

Among the clubs making bids for the tournament are the Fairview Golf club of Philadelphia; Chicago Women's Golf club and the Windy City Golf club. There'll probably be two or three more by the time the Executive committee meets.

When the UGA winter meeting was held here last February the only bid submitted for the national came from the Moulin Rouge. Philadelphia put in its bid after the meeting but because the Philadelphia club was unfinancial with the UGA, the bid could not be accepted.

The 1955 national held in Detroit last August had the largest entry in the history of the UGA. A total of 455 golfers competed. This unexpected large number forced the Detroit Amateur Golf club, host to the national, to use two 18-hole courses during the five-day sessions.

This was the impetus to launch the keen bidding by the clubs, particularly those in the Midwest. Any club is assured of financial success if it can obtain a 36-hole course for the tournament. An 18-hole course just cannot accommodate the flood of pros, men amateurs, women, seniors and the juniors.