Opening of Tiger's first designed course

put on hold because of Credit Crunch

Even the world's No 1 golfer is not immune to the effects of the worldwide Credit Crunch.
Tiger Woods confirmed today that the opening of the Dubai course he is designing - his first - will be delayed because of the economic situation.
Woods said that construction on Al Ruwaya Golf Course in Dubai is on hold because of the economic meltdown in the United Arab Emirates, pushing back the scheduled opening by at least six months.
"It's six months as of right now," Woods said in an interview at the Memorial. "It's going to be behind schedule. Obviously, the economy has turned over there and they've slowed down construction because of it."
The course was to open this autumn, but Woods said it could be next summer.
"It all depends," he said. "The economy needs to turn around. If it gets stimulated, we can pick up to the point where we might open earlier, but who knows? It's out of my hands."
The project is called the "Tiger Woods Dubai." It includes 100 villas, 75 mansions, 22 palaces and a 360,000-square-foot boutique hotel. It also is to feature a 139,000-square-foot clubhouse and a golf academy. The developer is Tatweer, a division of Dubai Holding, which is owned by the emirate and its rule, Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.