When you come to think of it that is the secret of most of the great holes all over the world. They all have some kind of a twist. C.B. MACDONALD
"The Middle East may have the money to stage golf tournaments right now, but it’s not rich with golf fans."
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Alistair Tait paints a bleak picture of the outside-the-ropes scene at the European Tour's Dubai finale.
Fridays and Saturdays constitute the weekend here in the Middle East, so we can expect more fans for the next two rounds. But I’m guessing not many more.
The land outside the fairway ropes of the Earth Course here at Jumeirah Estates explains why the crowd was so sparse.
The course is situated in the middle of a huge construction site. With one exception – no construction is taking place.
Half-finished villas line most fairways. Ugly, concrete monstrosities with scaffolding, pipe work and steel supports exposed to the world dot the landscape. Players this week use a temporary clubhouse because the one that was half-finished last year is still half-finished.
The place is an eyesore. Very little, if any, construction has taken place since last year’s tournament. Even those villas that are finished are lying empty.
"Not everything had been revealed. So I'm not sure how he could come out before there was full resolution to everything."
/As Thanksgiving arrives, Doug Ferguson files a comprehensive recap of the events that followed Tiger's November 27th car accident and includes fresh comments from Team Tiger.
There was one interesting quote from agent Mark Steinberg, defending the PR debacle in the accident's aftermath.
"Within time I am confident there will be a global brand that will be using his name and likeness."
/Darren Rovell talks to agent Mark Steinberg about the big, bad media, global brands and other Tiger-related stuff. And we find out that it was not the anniversary prompting the new image campaign and pursuit of endorsements.
Read MoreIconic Trophies Highlight Golfing Year And George O'Grady's Love Of Posing
/I'm not sure what's more giggle-worthy, the European Tour Commissioner's pose or the garrish Dubai World Championship loot Lee Westwood's posing with. What's that in Westwood's right hand, a gold-plated mace? Is he going to be leading a high-end marching band?
"He picks his clubs up for one month and gets to the final stage."
/Great story by Doug Ferguson on Brett Waldman, chief luggage toter for Camilo Villegas and Q-school finalist after picking up his clubs a month ago to start with the pre-qualifier.
Read MorePelz: "The USGA has taken away 50 percent of the spin from the amateurs."
/Brian Wacker files a Q&A with Dave Pelz and the short game guru isn't too happy with the groove rule change. While I appreciate his sentiment about doing something other than the ball, I'm sensing this is a bit of an overstatement.
Read MoreAnything For The Fifth Of Four: Rory And Lee Get An Extra Tournament To Ensure They Make It To The Players**
/Lawrence Donegan reports on a new policy board-approved clause that lets some elite non-member international players to get in one more PGA Tour appearance than originally thought.
Read MoreJohnny: "Sometimes I wonder how the world would be if there were a million Johnny Millers."
/There are many great anecdotes and observations in Jaime Diaz's Golf Digest profile of Johnny Miller, but naturally I'm drawn to the stuff about his passion for picking up highway litter and a third person reference.
Read MoreWhy Couldn't Designated Tournaments Opt-Out?
/I heard from another couple of tour insiders who insist that Tiger and Phil were NOT to blame for the demise of the designated tournament concept, but instead, it was a select few events fearful of the branding issues that came with such a designation.
Read More"It's time to accept that the sport is in a much better place than it was 10 years ago, but it's not the next great sport that's going to give the NFL, NBA or Major League Baseball a run for its money in terms of nationwide relevance."
/That's Darren Rovell writing for CNBC about...NASCAR and its second straight year with a big ratings decline and the dreadful 10-race chase inspiring no one.
Read More"We've demonstrated our shareholder value orientation, and quite honestly, we're pretty relaxed."
/Maybe the best thing out of this possible Fortune Brands breakup is that I get to beef up my corporatespeak vocabulary. From a Reuters story today quoting Fortune chief executive officer Bruce Carbonari:
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