EASTERN PROMISES

Last updated: 9th October 2008

The Middle East has been attracting America for years. Its vast oil supply has been of particular interest to the US Government. Partly as a result, that region is now more appealing than ever to US golfers.

It is ironic that America's own spending on Middle Eastern oil, which in turn has enabled the region in general - and Dubai in particular - to construct first world cities in the desert, is now threatening to lure some of its best players away from the PGA Tour for the most important stretch of the season.

The European Tour's 'Race to Dubai', the winner of which will receive 3.5 million pounds, runs for a year from November 2008. Players will need to play 12 European Tour events to qualify, so with majors and WGC events aside, PGA Tour players with their eye on the dough will still need to trek across the pond more often than will be comfortable for their hopes of a high finish on the domestic tour.

The effect on the PGA Tour will be significant. Phil Mickelson has already signalled his intention to join the race. More than stating his desire to spend more time on the European Tour, Mickelson has inadvertently indicted his own tour.

By being less lucrative for a stretch, the PGA Tour is being forced to address the possibility that its top players may soon be on their respective bikes. And without star names at their flagship events, the tour's status will diminish sharply.

It does not help at all that the US economy is currently in the throes of its worst period since the Great Depression, with several of the Tour's heavyweight event sponsors, notably the banks, feeling the pinch to an unprecedented degree. What will, say, Wachovia think of splurging on a multi-million dollar tournament when its company is in the gutter?

It will get worse before it gets better, economists say. And as more US players seek bigger purses in Dubai and elsewhere, it will demand an expensive effort on the part of the PGA Tour to lure them back.

This is a hard task at the best of times. With their economy heading towards a recession, it is a task that may prove impossible.