Tiger Woods in Dubai

The world's number one golfer, Tiger Woods, today takes part in his first Middle East tournament -- the Dubai Desert Classic.

Ticket sales for the event, which will be played over the next four days, are three times what they were last year.

The tournament was first held twelve years ago, with the aim of increasing the golfing profile of the emirate.

Total prize money this year is almost one-and-a-half million dollars.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service