Els commits to Singapore Caltex Masters

Since British Open champion Ernie Els was unveiled as the star player at next month's Caltex Masters in Singapore, he has added a whopping US$2 million to his bank balance, shot one of the rounds of his career and 'made peace' with the Tiger Woods phenomenon.

But as he relaxed in South Africa over the festive period he fired a warning to his rivals - "you ain't seen nothing yet."

Els is currently living up to his nickname of the "Big Easy" by lounging on the sofa at home and enjoying "lots to eat, lots to drink, and lots of relaxation."

"Of course, we¹re lucky in this part of the world (South Africa), because with the weather being so good we can walk off our over-indulgence with a stroll on the beach. You can¹t beat it," said Els.

But he admitted that the "fear factor" would kick in around New Year and he would get down to some serious practice for the early part of the season which includes a date at Laguna National Golf and Country Club from January 23-26 for the Caltex Masters presented by Carlsberg, Singapore 2003, a joint sanctioned event between the Asian PGA and the European Tour.

"It's good to put my clubs away for a whole week, but after that there is kind of a fear factor," said Els. "After a week away from golf completely, I need to feel that it's still there, that I'm still hitting the ball from the middle of the clubface, maybe have a chip and a putt - not for long, maybe only for 40 minutes or an hour - but I'll go through the motions every other day after that first week off.

"Then I will be putting in some serious time on the practice range, preparing for the 2003 season, which unbelievably is almost upon us."

Els rounded off 2002 in style by scooping the US$2 million first prize in the Nedbank Challenge in South Africa thanks to a course record 63 in the final round. "This is probably one of the rounds of my career," said Els.

"It's not too often I have shot 63 in the final round of a championship."

He added that his six wins in 2002, which included the British Open at Muirfield, Scotland, were due largely to ridding himself of the Tiger Woods bogey. "This year (2002) I would say I have been a bit more disciplined and have had a bit more patience," said Els. "I made peace with the fact that Tiger is out there and that I didn't have to chase after him anymore.

"I just played my game this year - I stuck to my guns and didn't care all that much about what the other guys (like Woods) were doing."

Els won US$6,348,000 worldwide in 2002 but he is not content to rest on his laurels. "I believe that I can get a lot better," said Els. "I'm 33 years of age and I have got quite a few, nice years ahead of me. It's good to have a good 2002 behind and but I believe I can still iprove."

Els will play the Mercedes Championships and Sony Open on the US PGA Tour in Hawaii before heading to the Caltex Masters and by the time he hits Singapore his game should be in good shape.

"I had a wonderful season in 2002 and I am pretty upbeat about my golf game, especially my putting which in 2002 was the best it has been for many years. "Let's hope I can take that into 2003," he said. "It would be nice to win the Caltex Masters at my first attempt. I have been told by fellow professionals that it is a fantastic tournament to play in."

After playing in Singapore, Els heads to Australia for the Heineken Classic and the Johnnie Walker Classic.

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