AS Bermuda celebrated its first National Heroes Day this week, those at Mid Ocean Club might have been taking their hats off to their own heroes – course superintendent Norman Furtado and his staff.

Such was the immaculate condition of the course, the six hours of national TV coverage afforded to the PGA Grand Slam provided the kind of injection to the Island's slumping tourism business that no amount of advertising money could possibly buy.

Those who attended the two-day event would have been more than impressed, and on the TV screen the course and its surroundings looked even better.

But with the tournament over, and one of the four Tour pros comparing the Mid Ocean greens every bit as challenging as those at the Augusta Masters, the $1 million question remains – how can Government-owned Port Royal top that in less than a year's time.

As hosts of the $1,350,000 annual event, Mid Ocean have been told their time is up (and considering the preparation involved, they might be relieved).

Government will now be taking over the reins – as if they haven't got enough on their plate – with Premier Ewart Brown making the official announcement at the most untimely and discourteous of press conferences on Tuesday morning, just an hour before Furyk, Harrington, Goosen and Immelman teed off.

Wasn't the spotlight supposed to have been shining on the players and the event, rather than a Premier who again wanted his ego massaged?

But more importantly, as this column goes to print, the Southampton lay-out – once described as the best public course anywhere in the world – resembles a battleground.

Under complete renovation, with tee boxes, fairways and greens ripped from their roots as part of a new design, it's difficult to imagine this golfing jewel will be shining too brightly come next October.

Yet Premier Brown is not only confident but also adamant that it will be ready.

He told us so on Tuesday. What's more, he insisted the work would be completed, at an estimated cost of $14 million, by January and would be open for play soon after.

That might be true, but it's doubtful if any PGA Tour event has ever been played on a course that has been opened for less than a year, let alone the Grand Slam.

Golf courses take time to mature, especially in a fickle climate such as Bermuda's. Ask those at Belmont Hills or Tucker's Point.

Tiff-eagle grass that is about to be planted on Port Royal's greens, and has already been introduced to many golf courses on the Island, can take at least a couple of years to produce the kind of lightning fast surfaces we've seen at Mid Ocean Club this week.

As Bermuda have been awarded this prestigious tournament until at least 2010, wouldn't it have been so much better to have negotiated with Mid Ocean for a third year and then complete the move west?

As it stands now, the risks of Port Royal not being ready are enormous. And if Mid Ocean aren't prepared to step in at late notice, we could see this event heading back to Hawaii from where we snatched it in the first place.

Brown and PGA officials seem confident that won't happen.

Spectators on the course in Tucker's Town this week appeared to disagree.

* * * *

AT the end of Tuesday's Grand Slam players' press conference, champion Jim Furyk stood up and asked if Royal Gazette senior sports reporter Steve Wright was in the room.

Seeing that he was, Furyk offered his thanks for the telephone interview conducted by Wright prior to the event and the subsequent article.

It was a nice touch, rarely if ever seen before on this Island. And it came from one of the world's top sportsmen who is besieged by the media almost every day of his life.

With his wife and two children close by, Furyk might have been anxious to get away from the press but instead took time to offer a much-appreciated compliment.

Pity when Jim finishes his vacation here, he doesn't also have time to lecture some of our whinging, whining athletes, too many of whom claim they are misquoted or their comments are taken out of context, when in reality it seldom happens.

– ADRIAN ROBSON