There was a touch of swagger about the way the European Tour, in partnership with property developers Leisurecorps, announced their plan yesterday to stage the "world's most exciting golf tournament" against the strong possibility that Tiger Woods, the runaway world No.1, will not feature in it.

Woods is an iconic figure in this burgeoning Middle-East hub. He is designing his first course in the city and regularly has his palm crossed with a few millions to play in the Dubai Desert Classic. His image screams at you from huge roadside advertising boards, and yesterday's plot was hatched in the opulent surroundings of the sail-shaped Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai, at more than 1000 feet the highest hotel in the world, where Woods once hit balls into the Arabian Gulf from the helipad.

Yet to play in the inaugural season-ending Dubai World Championship two years hence - that will offer $10m prize-money and a further $10m bonus pool - he would have to do what he has avoided so far and join the European Tour. He would also have to do like everyone else in the field and play for pay because there will be strictly no appearance money.

David Spencer, chief executive officer of Leisurecorp, the company developing Jumeirah Golf Estates where the tournament will be played, said after the launch: "We set out to create an event that will be bigger than any one player and one which the world will stand up and take notice of. We didn't set out to create an event in which Tiger could come to play."

This new partnership is looking far beyond Woods. It is likely to last a decade and more, although formally it is a five-year arrangement with Leisurecorp investing $200m with a further five-year option.

That will take us to 2018.

By that time there will probably be a new world No.1, which they hope might emerge from the European Tour, who will have new international headquarters in Dubai at a specially built centre of excellence that is also part of the deal.

Of course they want Woods to play, but there is no begging bowl being proffered and there is even a scenario he will actually play in it.

Woods, through his management company IMG, has already inquired what would be involved to join the club and he is not far away from meeting requirements which, critically, involves playing in 11 European Tour events, or 10 plus the new season-ender that will be limited to the top 60 in the order of merit that will be renamed Race to Dubai.

Had he been a member, Woods would have been a clear winner of most recent European Tour orders-of-merit, including the current one that went to Justin Rose, who made the 11 with just one to spare.

With major and world golf championships counting as co-sanctioned events, Woods starts off with seven. Add in tournaments like the HSBC Champions in which he played last year and the Dubai Desert Classic and he is just one short. The rules may even change as the European Tour's influential players committee are meeting in January in Abu Dhabi to discuss the rule of 11, although it is believed a reduction is not on the agenda.

Beyond Woods, fellow-American Phil Mickelson has declared his intent to travel more, and it is thought Vijay Singh could also be attracted.

Ernie Els, who failed to make this year's current season-ender in Spain when he was leading the order of merit, has a base in Dubai and was the first to suggest a switch from Valderrama to Dubai all of three years ago. He has gone as far as to suggest a series of three to present a play-off series to rival the FedEx Cup in the US.

Mickelson is in a similar position to Woods, and if he were to join the European Tour his regular appearances at Loch Lomond in the Barclays Scottish Open would help his cause.

The European Tour's partnership with Leisurecorps - with the latter using the association to sell houses worth an average of about $3m a time and develop new tournament venues - is rated as significant as the one with Volvo almost 20 years ago.

George O'Grady, the European Tour executive director, noted that while Volvo united the tour in Europe this latest arrangement will do the job globally.

There had been talk of the European Tour changing its name to the World Tour to reflect more accurately where it plays nowadays, but O'Grady said that their business contacts in places like China, Korea and India - where the tour have extended their borders much to the angst of the Asian Tour - had expressed no such wish.

In the absence of any financial gain, the European Tour it will remain and now, with complete disregard for geography, with Dubai as its capital.