Refreshed Ernie Els ready for Europe

Ernie Els will make his first appearance of the season on European soil tomorrow when he hopes to win back the Barclays Scottish Open title he was unable to defend at Loch Lomond last year because of a troublesome back injury.

Now fully fit and rested after a two-week break in England which saw the world No3 take in social trips to Wimbledon and Silverstone, the South African hopes his affection for Loch Lomond will bring out the very best in him over the next four days.

"I really love this place, it’s magnificent - one of the best courses we play anywhere in the world each year," he said.

"Obviously, it’s a pity about the wet weather, but the condition of the course in the circumstances is unbelievable. Unless things change, my guess is we’ll be lifting and placing on Thursday because there were a number of holes today where you couldn’t find a dry spot on the fairways."

Els hasn’t been greatly enamoured with his game since the Masters, but says he’s now feeling refreshed after a holiday and excited by the prospect of returning to Muirfield.

I asked if he regarded the home of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh golfers in a slightly different light from Bethpage. "Don’t even mention that place," he grinned. "Great lay-out, but not a good set-up. Muirfield, on the other hand, is brilliant. Everything about the place is the same as I remember from 1992 and it’s going to be a wonderful test."

Like his compatriot, Retief Goosen knows how it feels to savour success at Loch Lomond. A year past, Goosen returned to the European Tour after winning his first major title - the US Open at Southern Hills in Oklahoma. Although Goosen led from start to finish in the mid-west before defeating Mark Brooks in an 18-hole play-off, there were still a few sceptics who questioned whether the quietly spoken South Africa was the genuine article, a competitor out of the top drawer.

Winning the 2001 Scottish Open in accomplished fashion - he opened up with a memorable 62 - Goosen was a man on a mission. "I felt that at Loch Lomond last July I was able to silence those critics who said I was lucky to win the US Open," he recalled. "I proved something to myself in the Scottish Open, and to a lot of other people too."

Over the past year it’s safe to say Goosen capitalised on his US Open success around the world and may possibly have played in more events than was good for his game. Although he started the year in style - he won the Johnnie Walker and the BellSouth in Atlanta before finishing runner-up at Augusta - Goosen’s season went a little flat in May and he missed the cut at both the Volvo PGA and at Bethpage.

Having relaxed by taking off four of the past five weeks, a refreshed Goosen returned to something like his old ways in Dublin at the weekend when he finished joint second at the Smurfit European Open.

It was the clearest sign yet that this pure striker of a golf ball was recapturing the energy and the panache which catapulted him to fourth spot in the world rankings.

What’s no longer in doubt is that feeling of assurance which now courses through his game whenever he’s in contention. "I didn’t always have enough self-confidence in the past, but winning the US Open set me up and I now look forward to the big events," he explained.

"That experience taught me a lot about myself and showed me just what I’m capable of achieving.

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