Change of venue? Yes, but not yet

19th hole Five tournaments. Three winners. One course. The Abu Dhabi Championship grows in stature each year as positive words spread across the globe.

Five tournaments. Three winners. One course. The Abu Dhabi Championship grows in stature each year as positive words spread across the globe. Anthony Kim skipped his home tournament in La Quinta this week to play the National Course and Geoff Ogilvy said glowing locker-room reports of last year's event made Abu Dhabi a "priority" on his 2010 schedule. But talk is rife that with two new championship courses set to join the UAE capital's golf scene in the next 12 months, the annual European Tour event could be set for a change.

The Saadiyat Beach Golf Course and the Yas Island Links are both set to open their fairways to the public before the end of 2010, and with Abu Dhabi keen to promote itself as a golfers' paradise, there are few more effective ways than to broadcast its dunes and diversity to the world - this year especially. While much of the northern hemisphere wraps itself in winter clothes, the images radiating from its television sets show a country basking in sunshine. Some of the best golfers in the world stand sweating while those in Europe shiver; casually clad spectators picnic by the greens while people in places such as Bradford and Brussels huddle around fireplaces.

But the weather cannot be the only draw. Saadiyat will, this Thursday, host the Saadiyat Beach Classic, the first in what appears will be a yearly charity Pro-Am tournament. It will give players such as Rory McIlroy and Darren Clarke an early glimpse of what may next year become the host venue of the Abu Dhabi Championship. Andrew "Chubby" Chandler, whose company, Inter- national Sports Management, looks after both McIlroy and Clarke, says he is looking forward to experiencing the UAE's newest course and believes it makes sense to see the Championship change location. And so it does.

Both Saadiyat and Yas Island are quality courses, entirely different from the National Course - which some critics say is too similar to the Emirates Golf Club's Majlis, venue of the Dubai Desert Classic. When people are looking to book a golfing holiday, the last thing they want is to play the same course for two weeks. Abu Dhabi's two latest offerings certainly render that concern redundant. The Yas Island Links held a tour for local and international golf media this week and the general consensus was one of delight. With a high swirling wind coming in from the Arabian Gulf, some experts are already comparing it to St Andrews in Scotland. And while such heady compliments may be hyperbolic, the fact remains it shows an alternative Abu Dhabi.

Saadiyat officially opens in March and Yas is expected to open not long after, but both should not be considered as venues for next year's Championship. Yesterday's closing scenes, with the formidable Falcon clubhouse perched in the background, provided the most thrilling final day's golf we have witnessed in the capital - a finale fitting to a superbly organised event. Moving the tournament next year could prove disastrous if the facilities required - hotels, car parks, press rooms - are not ready in time. Why take the risk when it is not necessary? By all means, show off what else the city has to offer - achieved this week courtesy of the aforementioned golf course trips and a "Whack from the Track" challenge featuring Sergio Garcia at the Yas Marina Circuit - but as any golfer will proclaim, patience is imperative. A relocation of the city's only Tour event should not be rushed; this Championship will remain a winner regardless.