The Hindu : Sport / Golf : Els, Woods set to provide keen fare

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Thursday, Jul 15, 2004

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Sport - Golf

Els, Woods set to provide keen fare

TROON (SCOTLAND), JULY 14 . Despite two U.S. Open titles and a wealth of talent, Ernie Els used to show up at major championships and try to convince himself he could win.

It was a one-sided argument that he usually lost.

``It was difficult for not only myself but for other players to really believe that you can go out there and play your game and think it's going to be good enough,'' Els said on Tuesday at Royal Troon.

That was at the height of Tiger Woods' incomparable run through the majors, when he won seven out of 11 majors, set scoring records in each Grand Slam event and held all four trophies at the same time.

Els showed up at Royal Troon with high hopes and in a new role — the betting favourite to win the British Open, the first time at a major since the 1997 Masters that the best odds were assigned to someone other than Woods.

And the Big Easy didn't need a betting slip to know that.

``Right now it's different,'' he said. ``I feel that when he plays really well, he's going to shoot 67. But if I play well, I can shoot that score, as well. And I can keep doing that for three or four days. I think we're on a more level playing field now, and maybe because Tiger Woods has come back to the field a little bit.''

Ladbrokes listed Els as the 7-1 favourite on Tuesday, with Woods right behind at 8-1. To get an idea how much has changed in two years; consider that Woods was the 4-1 favourite going into Muirfield — not only to win the British Open, but also to win the final two majors for the Grand Slam.

Maybe that's what gives this British Open a truly ``open'' feel at Royal Troon.

Phil Mickelson has a green jacket to go with that wry smile, a winner at the Masters for his first major.

The only thing that stopped Lefty from the first two legs of the Grand Slam was Retief Goosen, a smooth South African whose second U.S. Open victory might finally make people aware of his greatness.

``Where Tiger was and where he is now, I mean we're in different worlds now,'' Els said.

``A lot of the players feel that we can compete with him now at the highest level. He's still playing great golf. He's still not that far off.''

Is he still No. 1?

Maybe not after this week.

Els had a chance to replace him last month at the U.S. Open. Two shots behind and playing in the final group, Els made double bogey on the first hole and crashed to an 80.

He gets another chance at Royal Troon, where a victory coupled with Woods finishing 17th or worse would end Woods' run of 257 consecutive weeks — dating to the 1999 PGA Championship — at No. 1 in the world.

``To be No. 1 in this day and age, with this many great players, would be quite something,'' Els said.

``But for me, to win this tournament is more important. To win majors is more important for my career.''

Still, Els knows there is a long road ahead of him at Royal Troon, a links known for its tough inward nine holes, the tiny ``Postage Stamp'' green on the 123-yard eighth hole and putting surfaces as pure as any in the British Open. — AP

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