This really is a joyous occasion for the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, which will tee off for the 25th time, but one just can’t get over the feeling that a number of European Tour players have not given it the respect it truly deserves.
There’s no issue regarding the quality of the field – any tournament that manages to attract the likes of world No1 and 14-time Major champion Tiger Woods; European No1 and the man who ruled the roost on both sides of the Atlantic last year, Henrik Stenson and the resurgent, former world No1 Rory McIlroy, need not worry about strength of the field.
And the organisers have also done well to get together each and every one of the past champions of the tournament, barring the late Seve Ballesteros. They got his son Javier instead.
A tournament’s real legacy is its Roll of Honour, and what better way to celebrate its 25th anniversary than making sure all these former champions took part.
The Desert Classic is not just any other tournament. When first played in 1989, it established a couple of things for the European Tour, and every member of the Tour should be thankful.
One, it was really the first time the European Tour was stepping out of its geographical boundary. There had been a few events in Morocco and other places, but as former Chief Executive Ken Schofield would never tire of saying, the move to Dubai was the genesis of the European Tour’s international schedule.
Today, it is well known what the support of Dubai and the region means to the Tour. Given the horrible economic situation that still exists in Europe, the Tour is kept alive by a majority of events taking place here, Asia, or South Africa.
And secondly, it was only the success of the Desert Classic that convinced first Qatar and then Abu Dhabi to have their own tournaments, and thus form the Desert Swing.
That is the reason why, given the significance of the tournament, I am extremely disappointed not more European Tour players decided to join the celebrations this week.
Some players like Lee Westwood, Graeme McDowell and Ian Poulter will insist that it did not make sense to travel all the way to Dubai for just one event.
Martin Kaymer, Sergio Garcia and Luke Donald, played the first two events in Abu Dhabi and Qatar, and then decided to fly away.
Obviously, there is a lot of money matter in play in situations like this. When you hear of Woods being paid $2.5m to show up, it is a normal psychological reaction to ask why should you just appear for free.
The managers play a crucial role in this process, and because most of them would like to get their clients’, and in turn their own, pockets stuffed with money, they make unreasonable demands on the organisers.
I have nothing against players trying to earn as much as they can, but there are times when they need to stop thinking about the money and make a small sacrifice for the sake of the Tour and fellow players who may not have as much star power as them.
And this, the 25th anniversary of the Dubai Desert Classic, is one such time.
