Changes Abound for Aussie Masters?

The European Tour's announcement of the Dubai World Championship is starting to have effects on the Australian swing. Bruce Matthews reports that there are likely severe changes ahead for the Australian Masters.

Among the possible changes:
1. Mastercard may be out as tournament sponsor after six years with their name on the event. They have not made a decision one way or another. Usually, these types of things are announced during the week of the tournament if positive.
2. If there is a new sponsor, the tournament may very well have to leave its home just outside of Melbourne. This is the only event that is based there.
3. The date HAS to change, no matter what. The Dubai World Championship is scheduled to be in the same week that the Aussie Masters occupies now. And they're not changing the Dubai date. Potential new dates are October/November or January/February. Matthews reports that the tourney prefers the former, and that makes sense.

There has been fighting between the European Tour and the Asian Tour in 2007 concerning the announcement of Euro Tour events in Asia (India and South Korea in particular) without talking to the Asian Tour first for marketing and co-sanctioning. It appears that the Euro Tour is continuing its ruthless expansion without consulting the tours that were in symbiosis with them for so long. Getting too big for your britches, Euro Tour?