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POLITICAL unrest in the Gulf is a concern for the European golf tour and organisers are monitoring the situation in Bahrain, which is due to host the first tournament of 2012, chief executive George O'Grady said this week.
Mr O'Grady said a decision won't be made 'for several months' on whether the Volvo Golf Champions tournament will be held in Bahrain for a second year. This year's inaugural event, held in late January, was problem-free and deemed a success.
Calm has descended on the island since anti-government protests erupted in February. The unrest forced Formula One's season-opening Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix to be called-off and a decision on whether to reinstate it in November will be taken on May 1.
"Bahrain is being monitored all the time," Mr O'Grady said. "If we are advised not to go, we would do the same as F1. I don't think anyone fully knows. It's just too early to say. It will be up to the Golf Federation in Bahrain and His Majesty King Hamad as our hosts."
Veteran tour golfer Colin Montgomerie, who designed the course at the Royal Golf Club in Riffa Views, said how the situation unfolds will determine if the event goes ahead.
"Of course, it's concerning ... especially for local Bahrainis," Mr Montgomerie said. "But at the same time, I think George is dead right in saying it's too early to tell regarding the Bahrain tournament next year. We all hope that the unrest will come to an end and peace in the region will suffice once again."
Mr O'Grady played down the long-term implications of the unrest, noting that the European Tour has navigated political challenges before, including the Gulf and Iraq wars as well as terrorist attacks in the UK.
He also said the Nigerian Open in the 1970s was disrupted by an uprising in the African country that forced players to remain housebound.
"You have had terrorist attacks in Britain but you continue the tournaments don't you?" he said. "You don't run scared. When the Gulf War was on, we came to Qatar when a lot of other sports wouldn't come. We reckoned we were safe there. Some players were worried but we honour our agreements."
Mr O'Grady also said he has no regrets with the move into the Gulf which now features five tournaments, including the year's first tournament in Abu Dhabi, one in Qatar and the season-ending, $7.5 million tournament in Dubai.
The tour has also held preliminary talks with Saudi Arabia over hosting a Senior Tour event and with Oman hosting a sixth European Tour event in the coming years.
"We have to be reasonably circumspect to make sure everyone is fully committed. It is a big undertaking to have extra tournaments.
"We are talking to many different golf federations in the area. Oman would be the most developed in that sense Mr O'Grady added."
