$20 Million Dubai Desert Classic

Get used to it. Ernie Els can definitely back up the wheelbarrow. Starting in 2009, the Guardian reports, the Dubai Desert Classic purse will skyrocket to $20 million - making it the richest golf event in the world. The details:

[T]o round off the 2009 season, [the Dubai Desert Classic] will have a prize fund of $10m (£4.95m) for the tournament itself with the other half to be divided as "bonus" money among the highest-ranked players at the end of the 2009 season.

And for the "I told you so"/"I know the tours read this" files:

The new tournament will go some way to alleviating those fears, as will the news that the tour intends to bring in changes aimed at establishing a credible alternative to the US PGA Tour. Among the possibilities are more tournaments in Asia and the Middle East, where booming economies and a growing appetite for the game attract western sponsors. Sources also suggest the tour will change its name. "The World Tour" is one possibility.

George O'Grady's plan is slowly taking shape.