ELLIOT SALTMAN APPEARS BEFORE COMMITTEE TODAY

FROM THE UK.REUTERS.COM WEBSITE
(Reuters) - Scottish golfer Elliott Saltman will face a European Tour sub-committee hearing in Abu Dhabi today, following accusations of cheating at last September's Russian Open.
Saltman, 28, was disqualified from the secondary Challenge Tour event for marking his ball incorrectly. Marcus Higley and Stuart Davies, his playing partners at the Russian Open near Moscow, have also been brought to the United Arab Emirates capital.

The Tour's Director of Operations David Garland, Chief Referee Andy McFee plus Challenge Tour Director Alain de Soultrait and Tournament Players Committee Chairman Thomas Bjorn will be present.
The sub-committee will draft a recommendation to be placed before the 15-man Tournament Players Committee due to meet later in the day.The Players Committee can either reprimand Saltman or impose a ban, as was the case in 1992 with Sweden's Johan Tumba who was handed a 10-year ban which was later reduced to three.
"The Tour hasn't had to deal with something like this for some time," European Tour Chief Executive Office George O'Grady told Reuters on Monday.
"It's an unpleasant episode and, once all the facts are brought to notice, it could lead to the committee really concentrating on the issue or the Committee might do nothing given that Elliott had already being disqualified.
"But it's not nice and though there might be some misunderstanding somewhere, I cannot prejudge what is going to happen."
The European Tour had twice sought to arrange for Saltman to attend the Tour offices in Surrey, but a family bereavement and then bad weather just prior to Christmas meant the Scot being unable to travel.
"It happened last September and it's taken a long time to get everyone together given playing schedules," said O'Grady.
"It's been unavoidable in one sense that the main hearing just before Christmas had to be postponed and that was because bad weather closed the Scottish airports.
"But something like this has had to be brought before the sub-committee and these things have to be dealt with."
(Reporting by Bernie McGuire; Editing by John Mehaffey)