St Andrews, Sept 25: Ernie Els has a piece of unfinished business to complete when the Dunhill Links Championships tees off here on Thursday.
The South African's chance of finishing top of the 2002 European money list effectively disappeared when he pulled out of last year's tournament after the third round following news that his wife Liezl had gone into labor.
Els made it home in time to be at the birth of his second child, Ben, and left compatriot Retief Goosen to cruise to the European number one spot for the season.
Now, after six wins already this season, Els is clear favorite to take over from Goosen and can virtually make sure he does by claiming the 500,000-pound first prize on offer here.

The tournament is unique in European golf in that celebrities and amateurs play alongside the professionals with team and individual tournaments played concurrently over three famous links courses, the Old Course at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns.



Els and father Neels are one of three father-son combinations in the team event. U.S. PGA champion Shaun Micheel makes his first appearance in Scotland alongside his dad Buck, a retired airline pilot who plays off a six handicap, and Sam Torrance has his teenage son Daniel as his partner.



Celebrities on show include actors Samuel L. Jackson and Hugh Grant, the model Jodie Kidd and former American vice-president Dan Quayle.



Also in the field are U.S.-based duo Vijay Singh and Nick Price and Padraig Harrington, who won last year's title in dramatic fashion by birdieing the final hole to force a play-off with Eduardo Romero.



The Irishman then repeated the feat at the second extra hole to claim a victory that helped him clinch second place on the Order of Merit behind Goosen. Micheel meanwhile is looking forward to his first taste of golf in the sport's homeland.



"Playing links golf will be a new challenge for me," he acknowledged. "The courses in Scotland are very different to those we play in the United States and I look forward to the challenge of hard fast fairways and pot bunkers.



"The Old Course is the most famous golf course in the world and its always been an ambition of mine to play it."


Bureau Report