Tiger Woods favored to win British Open but loses Middle East project

Despite a sore elbow and mediocre finishes in his last two tournaments, Tiger Woods remains a heavy favorite to win the British Open next week.

The news away from golf isn’t as promising.

Plans for the lavish, Woods-designed Al Ruwaya golf resort in Dubai have been scrapped, according to a report Tuesday from ArabianBusiness.com.

The ambitious project, in conjunction with Dubai Properties Group, was to include a championship course surrounded by nearly 200 villas, mansions and palaces. A boutique hotel and golf academy were also in the works, with Woods reportedly paid $55 million to design and promote the resort.

But the economic downturn got in the way and, after some initial construction, work was suspended in 2010. The builders finally pulled the plug this week.

Tiger Woods Design is involved with other projects in North Carolina, Florida and Mexico.

As for the upcoming British Open, bookmakers have Woods as an 8-1 favorite, if not better, to finish atop the leaderboard at Muirfield.

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