Earth on time for Dubai World Championship

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World number two seed Sergio Garcia tees-off at Jumeirah Golf Estate's Earth Course.

The Earth golf course and neighbouring construction work at Jumeirah Golf Estates will be finished in time for the Dubai World Championship in November, the master-developer has said.

The pledge was made by developer Leisurecorp as the last four holes of the Earth course were unveiled last month.

Leisurecorp has until November 19, when the course plays host to the Dubai World Championship, to ensure it is ready to welcome the world's golfing community, despite the construction slowdown that has gripped the region.

Golf world number two Sergio Garcia of Spain was joined by star players Darren Clark, Martin Kaymer, Robert Karlsson, Justin Rose and UAE number-one, 19-year-old Khalid Yousuf, for a preview of the course on Tuesday.

"There are four phases to the entire Jumeirah Golf Estates development," said Leisurecorp golf CEO David Spencer.

"Phase A (the Earth course and surrounding villas and infrastructure) can be self contained. We have said that we want to complete phase A in 2009 and we will do that."

Jumeirah Golf Estates will include four golf courses surrounded by master-planned neighbourhoods. The four estates are named Fire, Earth, Wind and Water.

The Dubai World Championship, from November 19-22, will mark the culmination of the season-long Race to Dubai - formerly the European Tour Order of Merit.

"The course was actually fully grassed in April last year and it's ready to play now, but we're giving it two full seasons to mature before the championship," Spencer said.

The course was designed by golfing legend Greg Norman, who said, "The Earth course is going to be showcased on a global basis, and I'm confident that the end result will be a great course."

Spencer added, "We will show the world that this is not all hype. We're on the home stretch right now."

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