George O'Grady, the chief executive of the European Tour, says Dubai and Abu Dhabi are in line to stage more top tournaments as the Gulf continues to make an impact on world golf. The worrying economic climate has created fears over sponsorship and raised question marks over whether some events, particularly in Europe, may have to be scrapped.
While O'Grady is confident next year's schedule of 53 tournaments is "rock solid", he admits some venues could gain additional tournaments in the future even if they are already on the calendar. While Dubai will stage the Desert Classic and the new Dubai World Championship next year, and Abu Dhabi hosts its golf championship in January, the introduction of more top-class golf courses in the Emirates will provide much-needed options for the Tour, which will also have its headquarters in the region.
Leisurecorp, who have a partnership with the Tour for the Race to Dubai, are building the Earth, Wind, Fire and Water courses at Jumeirah Golf Estates, while Abu Dhabi aims to have Gary Player's signature course on Saadiyat Island ready by the third quarter of 2009. O'Grady said they were also in talks about expansion in other Gulf countries and admitted: "With the way things are, we face different kinds of challenges so we are looking into growth areas like the Middle East and Asia. We like going to that part of the world and there's no reason why Dubai or Abu Dhabi could not stage more than one or two tournaments in the future.
"It's possible and will be discussed because there are new courses being built in these areas and they are being done at a high level. We have also seen how successful their previous tournaments have been; crowds are on the rise and they are popular with the players. "The interest is growing all the time. We are in talks with Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain is going to stage a skins game so we will see how that goes and if something can be done there in terms of a European Tour event. Qatar already stages a successful event, but needs another course."
David Spencer, chief executive of the golfing arm of Leisurecorp, is undaunted about the challenge ahead. "This is what we wanted and we won't fail," he said. "We will do everything we can, put every ounce of energy we have, into making things work." @Email:akhan@thenational.ae