Dubai, or not Dubai? That was the question last week as the
shadow of a second Persian Gulf war crept over the Middle East.
Ernie Els, Tom Lehman, Colin Montgomerie and Greg Norman had all
entered the Dubai Desert Classic in the United Arab Emirates,
where golf's top guns get $200,000 (Lehman) to $300,000 (Norman)
just for showing up. Then a showdown between Saddam Hussein and
the civilized world made golfing for petrodollars look like a
trivial pursuit. Until Sunday, when an eleventh-hour agreement
averted war, President Clinton had planned an attack on Iraq
that was code-named Desert Thunder—the latest threat to a golf
event in a year already marred by evil weather.
In 1991 the Dubai tournament was canceled after Hussein's
soldiers invaded Kuwait. This year European tour officials said
they would play through any trouble. Dubai's Desert Classic and
next week's Qatar Masters "are not in danger," said executive
director, Ken Schofield. "This is a new scenario. Saddam is in
his lair, and it is us talking of attacking him."
Lehman thought the dictator's lair, where weapons were said to
be stashed, was part of the trouble. "If they throw a missile or
two and blow up chemical weapons—well, the wind blows pretty
hard to the south," he said. A $200,000 appearance fee wasn't
easy to lose, but as 32,000 U.S. troops prepared for battle and
Iraqi soldiers kissed their rifles for luck, Lehman withdrew
from Dubai. "I got a fax saying Dubai is a safe haven in the
Middle East, but as far as I'm concerned, there is no such
thing," he said.
Australasian tour star Peter Lonard was another dropout. "I
won't be mucking about with any bombing," said Lonard. "I don't
need the nightmare."
Norman, Els and Montgomerie stuck to their agendas, though
nobody was notably gung ho about Dubai. "I'm not going to take
any chances," said Els. Norman flew to the Gulf on Sunday night
just as the news from Baghdad improved. By Monday, Montgomerie,
too, was on hand. Lehman opted for the Nissan Open in L.A. and
said he was glad to be out of the Middle East, "where they hate
Americans."
Lesser players saw an opportunity in the dilemma. "These are
lucrative events," said Clinton Whitelaw, the 1997 Moroccan Open
champion. "A bread-and-butter pro like me might make some big
money" if the stars chose discretion over dollars. Pro Roger
Wessels was similarly upbeat. "Prospects look good," he said
after watching CNN. His wife, Kim, added, "I'm sure the European
tour wouldn't dream of taking chances, so I'm not scared about
Roger's going. But I'm staying home, just to be sure."
Issue date: March 2, 1998
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