The European Tour is likely to go ahead with a planned golf tournament scheduled in Bahrain despite the unrest that has affected the tiny Arab Gulf state.
Golf legend Colin Montgomerie said there is no “need to worry” since the competition will be held in January 2012, according to Arab Business News.
Mr. Montgomerie said that the instability in Bahrain was a matter of concern and expressed hope that normalcy would return to the country before the tournament.
The Volvo Golf Champions event in Bahrain is played on a course designed by Mr. Montgomerie at the Royal Golf Club in Manama. It is widely considered one of the world’s best.
The European Tour held its first Arab Gulf tournament in 1989 with the Dubai Desert Classic and has subsequently played 44 events across the region with combined prize money of more than $123 million. Five events will take place in 2011.
The European Tour is reportedly the most prestigious golf tour in Europe, and the second in the world after the US-based PGA Tour.
It was established by the UK-based Professional Golfers’ Association and was later transferred to the PGA European Tour organization in 1984. The European Tour holds its events in Europe, Asia, Africa and the United States.
(Mustapha Ajbaili of Al Arabiya can be reached at: Mustapha.ajbaili@mbc.net)
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