By Nick Dougherty European Tour pro

Dubai and Qatar are two of my favourite tournaments, so playing them consecutively with such a strong field was a lot of fun.

The two top 10s were pleasing, although in Dubai I shot 11 under for the first two rounds and three under for the weekend. But it was a solid start to the season.

DOUGHERTY'S RECENT RESULTS Dubai: Tied 9th 41,945 Euro Qatar: Tied 4th 65,035 Euro Abu Dhabi: Tied 45th 8427 Euro

These tournaments prove that golf is a world game now, a topic that has been on the agenda recently when it comes to the World Golf Championships (WGCs).

WGCs should be played around the world, but more and more of these tournaments are going to be played in the States - that's where the blue chip sponsors are and it's a business for them.

But they can be blinkered in the United States. In baseball they call it the World Series, but it's hardly the world playing, is it?

Give them credit, the PGA Tour is arguably the strongest tour in the world.

Obviously the money they play for is huge. The sponsors are going to provide much bigger budgets for tournaments than if we had it in England. I can understand that aspect of it.

But it is a shame that America is dominating all these so-called world events.

Woods joins critics of WGC plan

If you look at recent Ryder Cups, you would think that we should be getting an edge on the US and that business should be coming to Europe.

The European Tour does a great job of promoting the game and we get great prize funds but it's hard to keep the big players here.

My long-term goal is to play the US Tour but to play worldwide like Ernie does Nick Dougherty

We, on the European Tour, need the big players to keep the world interested. I think the Golf Channel has five times the number of viewers when Tiger tees it up on this side of the pond.

It's great to compete against the most talented players in the world. Saying that, recent Ryder Cup results suggest that only the top players on the PGA Tour can claim to be the best.

Not everyone gets sucked across the Atlantic though. Ernie Els is the best ambassador for us because he plays in Europe a lot.

Considering where he has to play to try and keep up with the best in the world, I just think he's great. Tiger comes and supports us too - it's only really Phil Mickelson who doesn't support us at all, but that's his call.

My long-term goal is to play the US Tour, but to play worldwide like Ernie does. To be a world-class player you have to play all over the world.

I'm indebted to the European Tour because this is where I started out. I always want to play in Europe but to make it to the top end you've got to play in the States.

That's true for the first WGC, the Accenture World Match Play, later this month. Currently I'm 69th in the world and I need to make the top 64 to qualify for that event.

Whether I agree with where they are or not, the WGCs hold the key to my chances of playing in the Ryder Cup and making my debut in the Masters.

You're a slave to the world ranking points in this game.