All eyes on Tiger as oil-rich sheiks lure in the stars

TIGER WOODS, along with the top four players in the world rankings, will contest this week’s Abu Dhabi Championship.

The quality of the field for an event offering $2.7m (€2.07m) in prize money, a modest fund by modern standards, is so strong one assumes the oil-rich sheiks of Abu Dhabi are dipping deep into their pockets to bankroll the incentives capable of enticing the game’s finest to the Gulf.

Opinions vary as to Woods’s appearance fee outside of America with estimations putting his charge at $3m (€2.3m). Whether he remains the iconic attraction before his private life was rocked by scandal remains to be seen. Chances are his on and off course persona won’t be enhanced by the contents of a book by former coach Hank Haney set to be published on the eve of the Masters in April.