Els' surprise: Why he's playing this week

By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.com Chief of Correspondents

MARANA, Ariz. -- Ernie Els knows there may be some people who probably wondered why he even bothered to change his mind.

South Africa's Ernie Els gets in some practice time at Dove Mountain. (Halleran/Getty Images)

After all, his record at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship leaves a lot to be desired. He hasn't won a first-round match in his last three starts, and four times in seven overall.

Not to mention, the only time Els advanced past the second round was in 2001. That's the year the event was played in Australia over the New Year, and many of the game's top players, including Tiger Woods, opted not to travel during the holidays.

So just why did he decide late last week to make the 12-hour commute from London to Marana, Ariz., for a tournament that has treated him so unkindly?

"I just felt it is a big event," said Els, who is making his 2008 PGA TOUR debut after playing in Dubai and India earlier this year. "To be honest with you, my record is not great in this tournament, as we all know. But we've got a great sponsor, and it's a really wonderful golf course.

"You know, if I have a better game and I get a bit lucky, you win a couple of matches and you can find yourself in the quarterfinals or semifinals. So I'm really aiming at that and basically that's why I'm here."

Els had planned to take his 8-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son to South Africa this week. Instead, the kids were exploring the Grand Canyon on Tuesday while dad was checking out the nuances of the Gallery Golf Club at Dove Mountain.

"It's always kind of tough when you have kids at school and they have time off,' Els said. "You've got to ask them what they want to do. But they were fine with it, coming here this week with the old man."

The old man's relative lack of success in the Accenture Match Play Championship is surprising given the fact that he has won the World Match Play at Wentworth, England, seven times. Of course, those matches are contested over 36 holes, not 18; the starting field is 16, not 64 and Els is sleeping in his own bed that week.

"Just totally different circumstances," Els said. ""Basically, I've just got to have my game here this week. I haven't had my game in previous years and was waiting for other guys to make mistakes, and they haven't made mistakes. They kept beating me.

"So I've just got to have a bit of a different mindset, I think, coming in here."

Els suffered through a 4-and-3 loss to Bradley Dredge last year, but he liked the Gallery Golf Club at Dove Mountain, which was hosting the tournament for the first time. The John Fought design has reachable par 5s and a couple of drivable par 4s to lend some excitement to the fray.

Ernie Els last played in the European Tour's Emaar-MGF Indian Masters a couple of weeks ago. (Franklin/Getty Images)

"I really like this golf course," said Els, who arrived on Sunday. ""I was quite excited when they moved it. But then I lost in the first round again last year. I can't really put my finger on it. All I can say is I think my mindset has got to be different here this year. But this is a really good golf course for match play.

"You have to be quite accurate. There's a lot of opportunities for birdies on the par 4s. They're not too long, so everybody in the field can come in with the middle line at least. I think most of the guys can get to 50 percent of the par 5s in two shots. So it gives you a lot of excitement."

Els would like to create some excitement, too. He hasn't won on the PGA TOUR since 2004 when he captured three titles and posted top-10s in all four majors, including seconds at the Masters and British Open.

"I'm striking it quite nicely," said Els, who takes on Jonathan Byrd at 1:26 p.m. ET Wednesday. "These greens are very, very fast. You have to put yourself in the right spot. So, strategically, you've got to go with a plan. And that's really to keep your ball under the hole. But my game is okay. My game is all right."

The South African, who is known as the "Big Easy," nonetheless has made it difficult on himself of late. He tied for sixth at the Alfred Dunhill Championship in December, undone by an untimely and untidy 8 on one of the par 5s at Leopard Creek, one of his favorite courses in the world.

A month later, Els held the 54-hole lead at the Dubai Desert Classic only to be run down by Tiger Woods, who made five birdies in his final seven holes to overtake the South African. Els could have forced a playoff with a birdie at the 18th hole, but his approach found the lake, and he had to settle for third.

"Two tournaments where I really should have probably won," Els admitted. "To be honest with you, I've taken some big blows in the last four or five years. So it's something that I know I can overcome."

Toward that end, Els has altered his schedule for 2008. He'll be playing his way into each major, rather than taking the preceding week off. He really wants to "get into the mix over here in the States," Els said.

"It's been an interesting last couple of years for me, personally and professionally. So I've learned from it and I'm still here. I'm still ready to go," he said.

"I think in many ways it makes you a stronger person in many ways, even with all the struggles with the stuff that's going to be flying around in my head if I try to win a tournament. But it's one of those things, and that's why I love doing what I'm doing."