The Wilmington morning star., 1947-06-08
Today we got an idea.

IT NAV nOI WILL LILY oPP1OVdl, III IL may De
little bit wild, but it's a plan that can't hurt Will
a;ngton and might be worth plenty as far as city
Advertising goes.
Ruried in the news of the sports world yesterday wa,
,torv from Philadelphia that said the British Ryder Cul
I,fsrs were planning to come to the United States to try
"rovpnge on the Americans for a defeat in 1897 at South
mort, England.
W. Ed Dudley, president of the Professional Golfers
association, claims the matches will be played, de-
ante reports to the contrary.
But. the British have said they can't perform in Sep
.nbpr at the Lorraine Country club, Dayton, Ohio, as
mmi~ Manned, and will probably get to this country i,
November.
You can't play golf in November in Ohio, so the
navton course has ruled out the date and scheduled
matches. which coupled with the announcement that
tbo PGA hopes to hold the classic somewhere in the
south or west, makes us wonder why an invitation to
bring John Bull and his golf clubs here, couldn't be ex-
tended.
Now, before you say that only a big city could attract
-. International tournament let's recall that Dayton is
m hit smaller than most of the metropolitan centers oil
mo country, and the event was first scheduled to be helc
there.
The golfers want a good course :. we doubt Sc
riously if they care at all about the population of the
ety. And since it will be autumn by the time the
tournament will be held, it's gotta be south.
The chances are strong that either a city further south
Than Wilmington, or one on the southwest coast, will be
Intimately selected, but there could be no harm in seeing
what kind of a reaction would follow an attractive invita-
Nan to the PEA to stage the thing here.
As we understand it, the Cape Fear Country club
will be just about ready at that time. The face-lift-
Ing out at the club will, according to the reports We get,
force golfers to play, not only eighteen holes, of golf:
No two holes will have the same type hazards and
sreens, which is a top test of a golfers ability.
The British PEA has officially accepted Americas
Invitation to resume the matches which were interrupted
BY wal, and we may suppose the event will be an annual
affair. Therefore if Wilmington would like to be consider
I'd for future events here, it should start making it known
now.
A flat refusal to come here, couldn't hurt the city,
and would let people know there is a Wilmington,
North Carolina that thinks enough of itself and it's
sdf courses to make an attempt to get something big.
The publicity couldn't be other than good, as long as
the invitation was made with foresight, and with no thought
Of penny-pinching. A refusal would have to be accompan-
led with a letter of thanks for the invite" and "glad to
know you're interested" and keep in touch with us for
later Journeys"
No salesman sells a big order the first time he en-
tiers a firm, but after continual efforts he may take a
lot of business from the nut that was first too hard to
crack. { The nut in this case might be the PEA 80.
not anyone in particularly.
Even if the country clubs course wasn't in the best of
shape, an effort to get the Ryder Cup contests here should
be made. Remember the case Of Bobby Locke he
would have given Wilmington something few cities in the
nation have seen. A chance to watch a man who may be-
come the greatest golfer in the world. And he wouldn't
have cost much either. Today, you couldn't get Locke to
consider playing an exhibition here for less than a thousand
skins, but last spring he could have been had for $3.50.
The fact that he accepted, or was ready to ac-
eept an invitation to play in Wilmington, was in itself
a surprise. If the Ryder Cup tournament committee
should agree to listen to Wilmington proposals, it would
be admittedly surprising, but that's no reason to skip
the issue.
What it would cost we don't know. Just how a city
goes about attracting such a classic, we admit we don't
Know. But, there must be someone who does &. and we
Know there's an advertising fund for the city of Will
mlngton.
It's not such a bad idea. Think it over for a little
while, and the logic in making the effort will suddenly
efrystalize and you'll see the good points. A defeatist
attitude is really the only thing that can spoil a great
opportunity.
~ It's seldom anyone has something he believes in. We
saeve In Wilmington, and it's chances for a great sports
.4ture. A guy can sit down each day and write thousands
VI words asking why there isn't a large indoor arena here,
@a why this lack exists, and why that lack exists.
Most of the time it doesn't do any good. Maybe
u won't this time. Wilmington's sports future Is only
q orllght rs the men who guide it.
Guide it.