Els leaves Order battle to Harrington and Goosen

GOLF: British Open champion Ernie Els has formally pulled out of the race to be the European Tour's number one player this season.

Els, who is €50,000 behind fellow South African Retief Goosen and just €6,000 ahead of third-placed Padraig Harrington, with three counting events to go, has decided he will not be playing in any of them.

On the eve of both his 33rd birthday and the Cisco World Matchplay championship at Wentworth - a £1 million event which because of its 12-strong field does not count towards the Order of Merit - Els confirmed he is competing just twice more this year following the birth of his son, Ben, 10 days ago.

He will be seen only at the Tour Championship in America in two weeks, then the Million Dollar Challenge in South Africa a month later.

That means he is giving two other big events a miss - the Grand Slam in Hawaii which is normally restricted to the season's four major winners - and the World Cup in Mexico in December.

He and Goosen would have been the defending champions there, but they are among the long list of stars not taking part.

"A couple of players spoke to me and wanted me to play the Volvo Masters, but I decided not to," added Els. "I thought about it, but my heart was never in it. I've had a good year and I need a break.

"When I did my US Tour schedule it was never in my head that I would have a chance to win the European Order of Merit. I have some other commitments coming up in America and it's important to my career that I do those.

"My goal this year was to win another major and I've done that. Now my family has been enhanced and I feel there are more important things."

Now the Order of Merit looks a straight fight between Goosen and Harrington when it resumes at the Madrid Open next week. That was where Goosen clinched it last season, but this time there is every chance of it going all the way to the final round of the £2 million Volvo Masters.

Meanwhile, Justin Rose will realise a childhood dream when he makes his debut at Wentworth today. The 22-year-old Englishman, who lies eighth on the money list, will take on twice major winner Vijay Singh in the third of four first-round matches.

"I've lived around this area for ever, really, and I remember coming up and watching this tournament since I was 10 or 11 years old," Rose said. "I remember being dropped off here with some sandwiches and then being picked up at the end of the day.

"It's something I dreamed of playing in one day. Had somebody told me that, at the age of 22, I would be playing in the matchplay, I would have been ecstatic."

Rose, who has won four titles worldwide this year, said he had special Wentworth memories of twice champion Greg Norman and Nick Faldo, who won the title in 1989 and 1992.

"I remember Greg Norman brushing past us and being amazed at how big he seemed," recalled Rose. "And I also have a strong memory of Faldo winning with his red jumper on - I would have been about 12 then."

Rose knows he faces a daunting challenge in the shape of Singh, the world number eight.

If Rose triumphs over Singh, he will come up against Goosen in tomorrow's quarter-finals.