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Ernie Els makes happy Hawaiian landing

It took Ernie Els 26 hours to fly to Hawaii for this week's Mercedes-Benz Championship but he is delighted to be back at the Kapalua Resort for the first time since 2005.

Victory at last year's Honda Classic earned him a place in the elite winners-only field for the PGA Tour's season-opening event, a tournament he won in 2003.

"It's good to be back," a smiling Els told reporters on the eve of Thursday's first round on Kapalua's hilly, par-73 Plantation Course.

"It was a long flight, 26 hours in the air from Cape Town, but we finally got here and it's great to be here. It's a wonderful spot and a great start to the year for me."

Asked for details of his long journey to Hawaii, he replied: "We left Cape Town and refuelled in Recife, which is in South America.

"Then we went to Palm Beach (in Florida), spent an evening there and the next morning we flew from Palm Beach, 10 hours. So it was 16 hours and then 10."

The smooth-swinging South African has always played well at Kapalua, producing four top-three finishes in just five starts. He romped to victory by eight strokes in 2003, setting a tournament record with a 31-under total of 261.

"I had four great rounds, with birdies and eagles all over the place," Els recalled of his runaway triumph. "I've had some good times here and it really gets you off to a nice start to the year."

A former world number one and three-times major champion, Els has battled for consistency in recent years.

His last major victory came at the 2002 British Open and he was hampered badly by a knee injury midway through 2005.

"I came back before the end of that year but the knee was still swollen," Els said. "Even after that, it was another six months for the knee to really start feeling where it was almost back to normal. It's been a bit of a climb since then.

"I've had some really good tournaments and had some really close finishes, even in majors, but not quite on the same level as 2004, so I'm trying to get back there."

Els and his wife Liezl have spent a lot of time over the last few years getting treatment for their son Ben, aged six, who has autism.

"For a long time golf was absolutely number one for me," he said. "I don't know if I've changed my thinking a lot because of Ben but the whole focus has been on getting him the best treatment."

Last year, Els announced his son's autism and has become a leading spokesman in raising awareness about the condition.

That stance, coupled with his recent struggles on the golf courses, has endeared him even more to his legions of fans.

"I think people do want me to play better golf; I sense that," Els, 39, said. "As a fan, they want me to play better.

"And trying to bring autism out to the public and showing that it happens to everybody, I think they like that too. We started talking out about it, trying to find some kind of cure for your kids. I think people are grabbing on to that."

Els is scheduled to tee off with American Kenny Perry at 1250 local (2250 GMT) in Thursday's opening round at Kapalua.

January 8, 2009