cards for Mid Ocean Club, the Royal Gazette has learned.

For the past three years Merrill Lynch has brought leading players on the Professional Golf Association (PGA) tour to Bermuda for the Shoot-out at the Tucker's Town course.

Now a new title sponsor, Gillette, and the PGA Tour are planning to bring together 24 leading PGA, Senior PGA and LPGA players for a one-day tournament this fall.

While a venue has not been confirmed for the Gillette Championship, a PGA Tour official said yesterday that Mid Ocean Club is strongly being considered, based on the success of the Shoot-out the past three years.

"I can confirm that we are looking for a destination for this championship,'' said Steve Horner, the Manager of Business Developments at the PGA Tour.

"Obviously based on our past experiences of Bermuda, who have been a wonderful host, I can confirm that Bermuda will make a very logical host for the future also.'' Merrill Lynch ended their ten-year association with the PGA Tour last year, and the future of the Shoot-out looked in doubt just when Bermudians were getting accustomed to having big name golfers here every year.

Now, instead of a nine-hole shoot-out involving ten players, the event will be expanded to involve all 18 holes at the 6,512-yard, par 71 course. It will be played as an 18-hole team event, featuring the top eight players from each of the PGA, Senior and LPGA tours.

"The basic perimeters of what we're looking for will involve a one-day championship, not unlike what we did with Merrill Lynch,'' explained Horner.

The Gillette Championship will be the culmination of the Gillette Tour Challenges which will be held at several PGA Touraments during the year.

"The programme involves several early week activities at up to 35 Senior PGA Tour events,'' Horner said.

"Essentially all of those weekly events are played and then there will be a season-ending championship to culminate the entire programme.'' Discussions are ongoing between the PGA Tour, Mid Ocean Club and the Department of Tourism and a decision is expected as early as the end of the month.

As the Shoot-Out showed in 1994, '95 and '96, there are tremendous benefits for Bermuda to having a tournament of that magnitude here. Spectators turned out in the thousands to watch the likes of Corey Pavin, Craig Stadler, Payne Stewart, Curtis Strange and Scott Hoch compete.

Prize money alone last year totalled $640,000 and there was tremendous exposure for the Island when the event was shown on ABC television weeks later.

Hence, the Bermuda Department of Tourism's interest, They have been working closely with Mid Ocean Club to try to bring the Gillette Championship to Bermuda this year.

"The format has changed and it will be for the better, as far as watching the tournament is concerned,'' said Michael Dunkley, Vice President and Chairman of Golf at Mid Ocean.

"Gillette has a deal with the PGA Tour to do the tournament and the Tour is in current negotiations with Bermuda to work out a deal where the Mid Ocean Club and Bermuda will be the host of the tournament.'' It is anticipated that Bermuda will hold tremendous appeal for the top golfers -- and interest is expected to surpass that of the Shoot-out as top women and seniors will also be competing.

"There have been discussions on the players because obviously the players have heard what might go on and there have been questions,'' said Dunkley.

"Nobody has signed up yet but the feeling among the players is very positive and they want to get in on it.''