Tour News: After the brief winter hiatus, the PGA European Tour's first road trip of 2006 - the year, not the season, as that got under way last November in China - visits Abu Dhabi this week for a three-tournament "Arabian swing" which confirms that the term "appearance money" may be dead but it is not forgotten.
Under its new guise as "promotional money", for which players partake in clinics and corporate dinners to justify their fees, no fewer than nine of the world's top 12 ranked will, at one stage or another, make appearances in the Gulf.
And while Tiger Woods won't play until the Dubai Desert Classic, the final event in this early-season stretch in the oil-rich states, this inaugural Abu Dhabi Championship is blessed with the inclusion of world number two Vijay Singh, along with Sergio Garcia (sixth), Colin Montgomerie (10th) and Chris DiMarco (11th).
You can rest assured that it is not the €1.6 million tournament prize fund that has garnered such a stellar field. After all, the conflicting Bob Hope Classic in California on the US Tour has a purse of $5 million, more than twice that on offer in the Gulf. Instead, Messrs Singh, Garcia and DiMarco, for whom the American circuit is their main port of call, have decided to expand their horizons by giving this new event the benefit of their presence.
It would be nice, but naïve, to believe it was simply because they would have us believe they are promoting the sport's expansion into new territories.
Singh, in fact, is playing his first tournament in the Gulf since 1993.
"I have heard good things about Abu Dhabi and the golf course and am looking forward to seeing it for myself," he said, adding:
"With the calibre of players entered, it looks like it'll be a tough tournament - but that's how I like them."
While Singh has always been a global player, the appearance of DiMarco would indicate that maybe the influence of Woods, with whom he has developed a closer friendship since they were paired together in last year's President's Cup match, is having an effect. Woods, more so than other top Americans of recent years, has never been averse to playing abroad.
"As you know, I haven't travelled outside the US that often, but I am really looking forward to Abu Dhabi," said DiMarco, who has won three times on the US Tour and last year finished a career-high seventh on the American money list.
With three major championship victories - the 1998 and 2004 US PGAs and the 2000 US Masters - under his belt, Singh is the top draw in a field of 120 players that also includes three Irishmen: Peter Lawrie, Damien McGrane and Gary Murphy. Michael Hoey and David Higgins are listed as third and fifth reserves in the case of drop-outs before Thursday's first round.
The presence of Montgomerie and Garcia, who are first and second in the Ryder Cup world points list, gives the pair the opportunity to cement their places early on Ian Woosnam's team for the match against the United States.
For the Irish players guaranteed starts in Abu Dhabi, the aim of getting a place on the European team would be lower on their list of priorities. As things stand, McGrane is best-placed of the trio, in 47th position, in the European points list, with Lawrie in 59th and Murphy in 106th. The reality is that they will first have to develop the art of winning before setting sights on the possibility of earning a place on the team for the K Club.
The trio will also feature in next week's Qatar Masters and the following week's Dubai Desert Classic.
Darren Clarke is in Dubai practising this week ahead of next week's Qatar Masters, where Paul McGinley will also make his first appearance on the European Tour (he did play in the Royal Trophy two weeks ago, a team event in Thailand where he assisted Europe to victory over Asia).
McGinley is the best-placed of the Irish players in the qualifying quest for the Ryder Cup. The Dubliner, who has improved to 20th in the world rankings despite his inactivity, has €1,151,402 in the Ryder Cup European qualifying table and believes that €1.5 million is the magic target that will give him a "101 per cent" guarantee of being in the team.
1. (1) Tiger Woods (United States) 16.80
2. (2) Vijay Singh (Fiji) 10.00
3. (4) Retief Goosen (South Africa) 7.95
4. (5) Ernie Els (South Africa) 7.69
5. (3) Phil Mickelson (United States) 7.68
6. (6) Sergio Garcia (Spain) 7.04
7. (7) Jim Furyk (United States) 6.04
8. (16) David Toms (United States) 5.18
9. (8) Adam Scott (Australia) 4.65
10. (9) Colin Montgomerie (Scotland) 4.57
11. (10) Chris DiMarco (United States) 4.38
12. (11) Angel Cabrera (Argentina) 4.34
13. (14) Kenny Perry (United States) 4.29
14. (12) David Howell (England) 4.27
15. (13) Michael Campbell (New Zealand) 4.26
16. (15) Luke Donald (England) 4.15
17. (17) Padraig Harrington (Ireland) 3.97
18. (18) Darren Clarke (N Ireland) 3.87
19. (19) Davis Love III (United States) 3.85
20. (22) Paul McGinley (Ireland) 3.54
21. (20) Tim Clark (South Africa) 3.52
22. (21) Stuart Appleby (Australia) 3.49
23. (23) Bart Bryant (United States) 3.37
24. (24) Nick O'Hern (Australia) 3.32
25. (25) Thomas Bjorn (Denmark) 3.28
26. (26) Fred Couples (United States) 3.22
27. (27) Jose Maria Olazabal (Spain) 3.18
28. (28) Stewart Cink (United States) 3.15
29. (29) Scott Verplank (United States) 3.08
30. (38) Chad Campbell (United States) 3.07
