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The United States Golf Association will turn the famed Russian Tea Room into a golf museum, housing memorabilia like the club used by astronaut Alan Shepard in 1971 to take a swing on the moon.
A federal bankruptcy judge last week approved the sale of the townhouse property at 150 W. 57th St. to the association for $16 million. Some final details remain to be worked out, but a closing could come as soon as this week. The restaurant shut down in July and filed for bankruptcy soon after.
The USGA plans to open the museum just before the next U.S. Open tournament in New York, which is slated for June 2004 at the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, L.I.
In addition to displays and interactive exhibits, the association envisions a reception space for visiting golf celebrities like Tiger Woods, and possibly a putting green where mere mortals can test...