Golf in the Gulf

They're blowing up people in Lebanon, Palestinians are breaking down walls in Gaza, Filipino monkey is trying to start WW III between Iran and the U.S.... but as usual they're having fun here in Dubai. Certainly some people are. Especially, today, Tiger Woods.

I was trying to get some work done here Saturday when a friend called and invited me to spend the afternoon at the 2008 Dubai Desert Classic. As we were walking over to a VIP hospitality box, I asked my friend, "Tiger Woods is in the tournament, isn't he?" "Of course," was the reply. "He's designing a golf course here!" Oh, and what about Ernie Els? "He lives here!" my friend explained. "He's building a golf course, too!"

So we had a nice lunch and watched Tiger Woods coming toward us on the 18th hole. Here's a photo of his attempt to catch up a stroke against Els, who was in the lead. He missed the putt. I know, it's not a great photo. But, hey, did I have to get out of my chair to take it? Dubai, an amazing place. (Especially if you have friends here!) Turns out I should have gone Sunday, too. Tiger birdied five of the last seven holes and won the Classic.

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The golf tournament and a lot of other headline events here are part of Dubai's ongoing effort to brand itself as the go-to city in the Middle East. Despite the presence of such huge sporting celebrities, the big news in Dubai Saturday was a political announcement. Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the genius behind everything here, appointed his son Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, as Dubai's crown prince, i.e. heir apparent. In a surprise move, though, he also appointed another son, Sheikh Maktoum, and Mohammed's brother, Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid, as deputy rulers of Dubai. The methodical parceling out of responsibilities is typical of Sheikh Mohammed's CEO style of governing. One of the messages to the appointees: stay on your toes, don't take your title for granted.

--By Scott MacLeod/Dubai