“Avoid travel to Southeast Turkey and carefully consider the risks of travel to and throughout the country.”
That was part of the latest warning issued by the U.S. State Department to any of its citizens considering a trip to Turkey.
Tiger Woods was scheduled to play this week in the Turkish Airlines Open. Last month he backed out and he’s probably glad he did.
A recent CNNTurk reported missiles launched from the mountains around Antalya, the site of this week’s stop on the European Tour’s final countdown in the Race To Dubai. They were aimed at a shipping company.
There’s trouble for sure in Turkey, but apparently the European Tour doesn’t care as the tournament is set for its normal Thursday start at the Regnum Carya Golf and Spa Resort.
Rory McIlroy, the tournament’s top draw and defending champion in the Race To Dubai, basically told them earlier this week to go ahead and start without him.
McIlroy said he spent some uneasy nights pondering the recent violence in the country and is heeding the warnings issued by our State Department. No doubt the good folks at pubs everywhere in Northern Ireland are happy their favorite son is passing on this one.
Same for Henrik Stenson, who will come home to Florida where he lives in plush Lake Nona, a world away from the violence in Turkey. Stenson is in good shape in the Race To Dubai, he is now the overall points leader after his runnerup finish last week at the HSBC Champions event in Shanghai.
Patrick Reed isn’t taking any chances either.
Reed, who like competing on the European Tour and wants to maintain his membership there, will pass on a trip to Turkey.
The European Tour seems oblivious to the problems. You go to the tour’s site and they’re talking about Bernd Wiesberger, Tyrrell Hatton and Lucas Bjerregaard as players to keep and eye on this week.
Things have been a little scary over there. You had the recent failed takeover of the country by its military this past July.
You’ve got your standard suicide bombers and other acts from extremists that have the good folks running for shelter and looking over their shoulders.
Still, the European Tour says “play on.”
Perhaps they fail to realize that innocent people are dying over there.
Last June a triple suicide bombing at the international airport in Istanbul killed 47.
There are plenty more casualties throughout the country.
For McIlroy, it wasn’t a quick decision.
“It was weighing on my mind and I slept a lot better knowing that I’d made a decision,” McIlroy said last Sunday while he was still at the HSBC event. “I gave it a lot of thought, basically all week. The fact that I won the FedEx Cup this year and that I have won the Race To Dubai before, made the decision a little bit easier.”
The Ladies European Tour didn’t mess around. They cancelled their event last June — The Women’s Turkish Airlines Open.
But not the men.
It’s play on this week and they’ll hope for the best.
