World number five Retief Goosen will defend his title in the South African Open golf championship beginning at Humewood in Port Elizabeth on Thursday.
The field also includes Goosen’s South African compatriot Ernie Els, who is desperate for his first win this year to protect a remarkable record.
The 37-year-old owner of three Major titles has built up a proud tradition of winning at least one title somewhere in the world from 1991 to 2005.
”But this year the cupboard is bare and it’s driving me crazy,” Els admitted.
”Now I’ve only got one event left this year and I’m desperate to put things right.”
The South African Open forms part of the 2007 European Tour and Els’s last win was in the Dunhill Championship on home turf at Leopard Creek just over 12 months ago.
That event formed part of the 2006 European Tour, but because it was not played in 2006, Els refuses to accept it as legitimate with respect to his record.
”The win has got to happen in the calendar year, so if I want to keep my record intact I have to win this week,” he insisted.
”I’ve been swinging well this year but for some reason — I can’t figure out — victory has eluded me.
”There are some good omens this week, though, although we’re going a long way back — to 1992.
”That was my big breakthrough year as a pro when I won six times, including a tournament they called the Goodyear Classic, which was played here at Humewood.
”I beat Retief [Goosen] by a shot, shooting 67 in the final round, so let’s hope history repeats itself.”
Humewood is the only true links course in South Africa and one of the few outside of Britain and Ireland.
It is positioned on a stretch of exposed links land close to where the Indian Ocean meets Algoa Bay.
It is one of the windiest spots in South Africa, and golfers often have to cope with gusts of up to 100kph whistling down the fairways.
”I actually hope it blows gales because I like playing tough golf courses, especially links, in the wind. That’s when you have to shape your shots and use your imagination and those are my strengths,” says Els who, before Tiger Woods came along, enjoyed a spell as number one in the world, but is now ranked eighth.
England’s Ryder Cup star Lee Westwood, also seeking a first win this year — in fact a first win since the 2003 Dunhill Links in Scotland — is another big name in this week’s field, along with Argentina’s big-hitting Angel Cabrera.
”It’s been quite a long drought but, believe me, I haven’t forgotten how to win,” said Westwood, who finished third in the Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek last week where temperatures soared to over 40 degrees Celsius every day of the event.
Winner there was 23-year-old Spanish rookie Alvaro Quiros, whose go-for-broke golf evokes memories of his famous compatriot, Seve Ballesteros.
Quiros birdied the last for a day’s best 67 and a 13-under-par aggregate of 275 to edge out South Africa’s star-in-the-making Charl Schwartzel by a stroke.
Both Quiros and Schwartzel are playing this week as well, along with England’s Ross Fisher, Italy’s Alessandro Tadini, Sweden’s Johan Axgren and Henrik Nystrom and Germany’s Sven Struver, who were all in the top 20 at Leopard Creek. — Sapa-AFP