The one we've all been waiting for

Let me put it this way — the next week on the European Tour has been the talk of the golfing world for exactly two years now. Everybody connected to the Tour, be it us players, the fans, or the media, has been waiting for this one. Finally, the Dubai World Championship is upon us.

I think it will be prudent to wait a few more days before passing the judgement on the championship. I personally thought the spate of negative reporting about the future of the tournament, and the city of Dubai itself, was uncalled for.

The last year has been difficult for most sponsors and for most countries. In fact, it has been equally distressing for the common person as well. Like every other country, including the US and the UK, the UAE has also suffered.

Let's not forget that the core business of Jumeirah Golf Estates, and Nakheel Leisure, is real estate — the one sector which has been hit hardest in this recession. Despite that, they have stood by their commitment of hosting the Dubai World Championship, as well as supporting the Race to Dubai. They have also announced their backing for the next season as well.

Of course, the cut in the prize money was a bit unfortunate. At $10 million (Dh36.7 million), the Dubai World Championship would have been the richest golf tournament in the world. But knowing the circumstances under which the cut was made, nobody should grudge $7.5 million for the tournament and $7.5 million for the Race to Dubai bonus pool. At the current prize money level, the championship is still the richest golf tournament on the European Tour.

I am also looking forward to playing at the Earth course. I last saw the golf course somewhere around March, and was impressed by how matured and beautiful it was looking then. But that was March. The course staff must have worked their magic even more. I haven't played the course yet, so it would be wrong on my part to comment on it. But from what I recollect, some of the holes were pretty long and challenging, the fairways had lots of undulations and the greens were huge.

It's a double-header on the European Tour this week. I am at the UBS Hong Kong Open where the fascinating tussle between Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy for the top spot in the Race to Dubai continues. Down Under, Tiger Woods makes his first appearance in 10 years, and I saw he was already leading the Australian Masters after the first round! That man is incredible! I want to ask him if he ever heard of jet lag.

But what is even more intriguing, at this stage, is the guys who are either trying to get into the top-60 to qualify for the Dubai World Championship, or those who are trying to retain their cards for 2010 season by finishing inside the top-115. The next two Sundays are going to be fascinating.