Els will defend his title in Dubai

Ernie Els announced on Friday that he will defend his title at next week's Dubai Desert Classic.

Several players have already expressed concerns about playing in the United Arab Emirates when war in nearby Iraq is a distinct possibility

One of those is Tiger Woods, who admitted on Friday that he has still not made up his mind.

Woods said he was monitoring the situation and might not decide whether to play until after the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in California in which he is competing.

Earlier in the day, Colin Montgomerie, Nick Faldo and former Ryder Cup captain Mark James decided not to play in the European tour event.

But Els said he is still worried about what will happen if there is a war while he is there.

Mark O'Meara, Woods' neighbour and best friend on tour, has already said he will play in Dubai next week.

Paul McGinley of Ireland is already in Dubai, and Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland has said he still plans to play.

Clarke, Faldo, James and a number of other top European players, have pulled out of the Qatar Masters, which is played the week after Dubai.

"Both events are going forward and both have 150-man fields and both entry lists are full," European tour spokesman Mitchell Platts said.

Under PGA European Tour rules, players have until early Saturday to withdraw. Late withdrawals could face fines.

Woods is not a European tour member. He is receiving an appearance fee worth over $2 million to play in Dubai, where he was the runner-up in 2001.