Woods, Els Could Skip Dubai Event

Tiger Woods and Ernie Els of South Africa, the top two ranked golfers in the world, have put a tournament on their schedule in three weeks at Dubai in the United Arab Emirates that may be in jeopardy.

There is $1.8 million at stake in the tournament, part of the European Tour, but if the U.S. becomes involved in an armed conflict, it seems virtually certain that even should the event be held, it would go on without Woods for sure and probably Els as well.

Woods receives a $2-million appearance fee when he plays overseas, but he said this week that he is undecided about taking part in the event.

“It’s still up in the air,” Woods said. “It really is. I think for everybody. I mean, we all don’t know right now. That’s the thing.

“We would like to go, yes, to support the tournament, but if it is a dangerous situation, then we are not going.

“It’s one of those things we just have to play by ear. We are getting a lot of information from different sources, so we are going to keep getting that information and make a decision based upon that.”

-- Thomas Bonk