World's richest tour event for Dubai

GOLF:From the 27th floor of the Burj Al Arab hotel, seven-star if you don't mind, the changing landscape of Dubai unfolds before your very eyes.

What were once desert sands are being transformed into a cityscape that features a modern urban sprawl of skyscrapers, office and residential developments, technology parks . . . and golf courses; layouts that carry the names of golfing superstars such as Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh and Sergio Garcia.

And yesterday's formal announcement here that, from 2009, this emirate will play host to the season-ending tournament on the PGA European Tour, to be called the Dubai World Championship, also emphasises how the tour, just like this desert, has - and will - changed.

After all, money, more than anything else, talks.

In replacing the Volvo Masters as the traditional finale to the season, the new $10 million tournament - with an additional $10 million in a bonus pool to be shared among the top-15 players on the money list in what is to be called the "Race to Dubai" - marks, quite possibly, the single-most pivotal moment in the European Tour's history, providing confirmation the tour is increasingly a global one even if there is no suggestion that a change of name is anywhere in the offing.

Coupled with the tournament first prize of $1.6 million it means one putt at the end of the week could be worth nearly $3.6 million.

Yet, as of now, what will be golf's richest ever tournament in terms of prize money is unlikely to have the world's best player in its field. To qualify for the Dubai World Championship (not one of the official World Golf Championships incidentally), a player must, firstly, be a member of the European Tour and, secondly, play in a minimum of 11 tournaments. Tiger Woods, the world's number one, doesn't fulfil either of those criteria at the moment. The top-60 players on the money list will qualify to play in Dubai, similar to the current position at the Volvo Masters.

Woods has, in the past, enquired about taking out European Tour membership (which would set him back the grand sum of €375 but the bigger stumbling block to his participation would be that he doesn't play sufficient qualifying tournaments.

For instance, in 2007, he played eight times on the European Tour (the four majors, three WGCs and the Dubai Desert Classic) and would need to find another three on his itinerary to make it possible for him to chase European Tour money honours.

In fact, the European Tour's players' committee is expected to address the issue of the number of tournaments required for tour membership at its next meeting in January (in Abu Dahabi).

However, George O'Grady, the tour's chief executive, doesn't anticipate the players reducing the number of tournaments - to make it easier for the likes of Woods to become members - but, rather, would expect a rise in the number required if anything.

"I think there is absolutely no way it would drop from 11," said O'Grady. "I think if I even put that to the players, I'd probably get lynched. I think it is more likely to go up . . . but it doesn't always follow that if you put the number up, people will play more. There's a balance. I sense there is a move to have that number put up now and, maybe, with something like this, the time is right to do that."

O'Grady added: "We're taking a long-term view on how to grow the European Tour and just having Tiger Woods come doesn't necessarily grow the European Tour. Tiger is the number one player (in the world) today and possibly for a good number of years to come.

"No one who runs any golf tournament wouldn't want him in their tournament . . . (but) it is a bit big headed of the European Tour to start talking about what to do with Tiger.

"Tiger knows who we are, where we are and that we'd bend over backwards for him. But, in this case, you represent the wishes of your membership."

While the Volvo Masters will again be the final counting tournament in 2008, it will become a regular tournament thereafter although it will be the final one actually played in Europe and may still have a restricted field but enlarged from its current ceiling of 60. Instead, from 2009, the Dubai World Championship (from November 19th-22nd) will provide the finale in the season and, from 2010, all tournaments will revert to being played over the calendar year, a comprehensive change in how the schedule is currently structured.

Dubai World, the parent company of Jumeirah Golf Estates who are hosting the new tournament on one of its Greg Norman-designed courses - "Fire" and "Wind" - which are under construction, has committed $200 million over five years with an option for a further five years.

Part of the tie-in will also include the development of a new international headquarters for the European Tour.

David Spencer, chief executive of Jumeriah, envisaged the tournament could some day be equated to that of the Players Championship at Sawgrass, just a step below the majors.

And O'Grady remarked: "We know the majors are the majors. No one takes anything away from the history and tradition and structure of the world of golf."

Yet, there is little doubt the European Tour has responded to the challenge of the FedEx Cup and come back fighting in an attempt to make its tour just as attractive.

The Race to Dubai will see players ranked according to their earnings on the European Tour throughout 2009 with the top 60 players qualifying to compete in the Dubai World Championship.

The tournament winner will receive $1.66 million

In addition, the season's top 15 players on the money list will share a bonus pool of $10 million.

The winner of the Vardon Trophy will receive $2 million, the runner-up $1.5 million, the third placed $1 million, down to the 15th player who will earn $250,000.

THE COURSE: Work in progress yesterday at the planned 14th hole on the Greg Norman-designed Earth course, one of the proposed venues for the Dubai World Championship.