The Asia-Pacific Amateur Is This Week In...The Middle East
/There are a couple of ways to think about this week’s Asia-Pacific Amateur turning up in Dubai with a Masters invitation going to the winner.
It’s a fine opportunity to pull out a globe and see how the Asia-Pacific region you (thought you) knew is now incorporating the Middle East. This was news to me even if the venue, Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club, is technically in Asia. Th course was only announced in late July and presumably selected due to COVID restrictions in much of the Asia-Pacific region, including Australia.
But more importantly, this selection puts some of golf’s leaders within a very short flight of Riyadh. It’s home to the Public Investment Fund of Saudia Arabia, now proud benefactors of some Asian Tour events and, as we presumably will find out soon, a global golf tour for superstars headed by Greg Norman.
The only bummer with this glorious coincidence of scheduling as the Five Families mull the ramifications of a disruptor golf tour? The fund’s head, Yasir bin Othman Al-Rumayyan, had to sit out last week’s conference celebrating all thing public investment under mysterious circumstances. But the Crown Prince turned up, so they’ve got that going for them. Both Reuters and the New York Times say it was a COVID positive test for Al Rumayyan and not unabashed excitement over landing Norman as Commish.
So no meetings with the possible head of a new Family in golf. This week anyway. .
For more on the Asia-Pacific Amateur, check out the official website. I’ll post official broadcast times when made available.
