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Tour denies '$10m Tiger bribe'

20/11/2007

The chief executive of the European Tour has denied that a new $10 million (£4.85 million) Dubai tournament has been created to entice world number one Tiger Woods.

George O'Grady claims the move has been made to add some excitement to the European Tour Order of Merit, which will now be renamed the Race to Dubai from 2009 onwards.

The Dubai World Championship tournament will be the richest in golf once its inception on the calendar is complete.

It will offer a prize purse of $2 million (£970,000) for the winner alone, and players down to 15th will earn six-figure bonus sums.

But despite the ground-breaking move, O'Grady has denied it is an attempt to attract PGA Tour regulars to switch allegiance.

"This isn't to get the best players in the world, it's for players who make commitments to the European Tour," he said.

"If Tiger Woods says he wants to join [the European Tour] and promises to play a minimum of 11 events and pay his £250 joining fee, then he would qualify.

"But he has his schedule mapped out well in advance. Anyway, it's a bit big-headed for the European Tour to start talking about what to do with Tiger Woods."

O'Grady believes the new tournament will "bring a new dimension to the Tour", by creating "great drama and theatre throughout the year".