DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - The head of the European Tour said Friday there is great potential to expand into Eastern Europe, Asia and even South America as several countries step up their construction of world class courses.

George O'Grady also told The Associated Press that golf being named an Olympic sport will "kick-start" the growth of the game in developing countries as federations are given funding to help attract and develop young players.

The European Tour currently hosts 26 tournaments in Europe, seven in Asia, six in the United States, five in the Middle East and four in South Africa.

It was announced this week that Bahrain will be the latest Middle Eastern country to host a tournament in January 2011.

O'Grady said that choosing additional tournament sites will depend on where good courses are built and top players coming through in different parts of the world.

"There are new courses being built in Eastern Europe so there is growth potential there," O'Grady said. "The Asian market has still got masses of really good players and there is growing participation in Thailand and Korea, which have strong golfing markets."

O'Grady also singled out South America, which has produced several top players over the years, including the likes of Camilo Villegas from Colombia and Rafa Enchenique from Argentina. But he said there remained a shortage of good courses.

"There is a need for new courses down there," O'Grady said. "It has largely been a country club sport as opposed to making it accessible."

O'Grady also said the Middle East was an important region for the Tour because of the good weather during the winter months when playing in Europe is impossible.

He said the new US$2.2-million Tournament of Champions in Bahrain was a good addition to the schedule. It will be held from Jan. 27-30 at the Royal Golf Club.

O'Grady said he would like to see even more tournaments in the region but acknowledged nothing is in the works in the short term.

The 2016 Olympics will ensure a new course is built by host Brazil, O'Grady added.

He said he would be "delighted" to see it designed by Jack Nicklaus and Annika Sorenstam, who served as "global ambassadors" during golf's successful Olympic bid.

"You could never complain. They know what they are doing," O'Grady said. "If anyone chose Jack Nicklaus, I would have absolutely no problem with that. He is to date the greatest golfer of all time and has built so many golf courses around the world."

O'Grady said golf at the Olympics could also inspire the next Tiger Woods to take up the game, especially in poor countries which currently have few courses and even fewer players. He said a gold medal for an Olympic golfer could also someday rival the importance of winning a major for the world's top players.

"The decision for golf to go into the Olympics has really kick-started a lot of developing golfing countries," he said. "It means a lot in each country and to amateur federations that grow the game. The strength and depth in countries that don't have top-ranked players will grow in the years to come."