If I mention the rumor that Leisurecorp is going to try to make a serious bid to have the 2018 Ryder Cup to a European colleague, they laugh.  Out loud.  It's a preposterous idea on its own.  Seriously, who would go to Dubai to watch the Ryder Cup?  Anyway, the prospect of that seems a whole lot worse now.

The Golf Watch tied together a news item that I saw about tennis to this potential bid in a way that I didn't catch.

Israeli tennis sensation Shahar Peer was denied a visa to play in a tennis tournament this week in Dubai.  The issue has sparked a great deal of controversy and has caused the Women's Tennis Association to reconsider playing a Tour event there.

With the inaugural Race to Dubai and a course design from Tiger Woods on the way, should we begin to reconsider our golfing ties to the area?

As someone who is a public policy wonk (not wank), I think that there is a dubious relationship with Dubai.  There is a lot of chatter about civil rights abuses, treatment of the poor, and potential anti-Western sentiment in the region that puts off a number of people from within and outside of the city.  Still, recent trends tell us that golf seems to follow the money and sometimes does so without regard for due diligence.  Need I mention Bobby Ginn again?  So, I find it difficult to believe that golf would run away from the region if Dubai is willing to sink a ton of money into it.  There's a big reason that Tiger's first design project is in Dubai.  They could pony up for it.