Tour chiefs may join the exodus from Britain

Golf's European Tour, currently based at the Wentworth course in Surrey, could become the latest sports organising body to desert Great Britain.

Earlier this month, the International Cricket Council confirmed they were quitting Lord's, their home for 96 years, and moving to a main office in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

Athletics, badminton, table tennis, rugby and motor racing are among other sports that have transferred their principle power bases away from these shores in recent years.

Now George O'Grady, the Tour's new chief executive, has confirmed that a feasibility study is to be conducted into re-locating to a combined headquarters and flagship golf course, much like the US PGA Tour which has Sawgrass.

And that could be to a site on the European continent.

A selection of courses around London are understood to be on the Tour's shortlist, and remaining at Wentworth, where the Tour will promote its flagship BMW Championship at the end of May, has not been ruled out.

But O'Grady, whose Wentworth office employs 108 administrators, said: "If we did decide to have our own course and headquarters we would look beyond the UK to see what was available in Spain, Portugal and France."