Els hopes to add to the collection

PGA CHAMPIONSHIPTHE MARKETING motto of the Wentworth Club is a carrot to prospective green fee visitors. "Walk in the footsteps of champions," it encourages.

For sure, the truth of such a bold statement is on view to anyone who ventures inside the august clubhouse, with memorabilia from champions - old putters, discarded drivers, rusty wedges - adorning the walls. It is a mouth-watering array.

Ernie Els has contributed his fair share to the collection, but not as champion of the BMW PGA Championship, the European Tour's flagship tournament which starts today. Rather, he has specialised in the late-season and limited-field World Matchplay, which is also played over the West Course.

His 7-0 record (seven matchplays to no PGAs) is curious, given his obvious liking for a course he has a greater affinity with than any other player; not only does he live on the leafy estate, he is also responsible for the design changes implemented in the past two years.

Why has the PGA, a tournament being staged here for the 25th consecutive year, evaded his clutches? A bemused shrug follows.

"One record is great, and the other one not so good," the South African says. "It's the same course, just a different format. But, you know, I have a feeling my game is coming around. I've had a nice preparation for this, been working on my game over the weekend and know the course very well. So . . ."

Els, as much as a first-timer in the championship like Rory McIlroy, is entitled to wonder: Why not? The world number three ranked player, Els is one of six from the top-20 - along with Vijay Singh (ninth), Justin Rose (11th), Henrik Stenson (13th), Luke Donald (19th) and Lee Westwood (20th) - competing here, with US Open champion Angel Cabrera also in the field.

British Open champion Pádraig Harrington, who was forced to miss Tuesday night's Tour dinner because of an ear infection, changed his schedule to bypass the €4.5-million tournament to play in next week's Wales Open instead, as he builds up to next month's US Open.

Still, there are no fewer than nine Irishmen in the field: Graeme McDowell, Paul McGinley, Darren Clarke, McIlroy, Damien McGrane, Peter Lawrie, Gary Murphy, John Dwyer and Mark Staunton.

And, apart from challenging for the €750,000 first prize, the richest outside the majors and WGCs on tour, there's the added incentive for them of attempting to claim one of three British Open exemptions which will be decided off the money list.

Heading into this final counting event in that particular qualification process, McDowell and McGrane - and Irish Open champion Richard Finch - are best-placed. Just who takes those three tickets to Royal Birkdale will be decided on Sunday evening.

Els, of course, has no such secondary thoughts to occupy his mind. He is only concerned about ending that winless streak in the PGA. The South African switched coaches, from David Leadbetter to Butch Harmon, earlier this season, and - with the help of his caddie, the Dubliner JP Fitzgerald - has been implementing swing changes suggested by Harmon.

"JP's been right with me through the change with Butch. We've got some tools to check my body alignment and my target ball alignment and all the other changes . . . and I've got an aid you strap onto your right arm to shorten the backswing."

For all the swing changes and the fact he has also been troubled by a virus for much of the time since his Honda Classic win on the US Tour in March, it is surprising to discover Els enters this tournament as favourite. And, despite his past failings in this championship, that he rates his chances.

"I'd obviously love to win, and I've got a good chance this year I think."

But Wentworth is prone to produce unexpected winners. Think of Scott Drummond. Think of Ignacio Garrido. Think of Andrew Oldcorn. Think of Anders Hansen, the defending champion, who has won not once, but twice.

Then, counter those unlikely lads of the past decade with those wins in the same time span of Colin Montgomerie, Angel Cabrera and David Howell. To be sure, the West Course is a mercurial beast; sometimes friend, sometimes foe. Els knows this more than anyone.

In the past, at this time of year, the course has been as unpredictable as the eventual winner. Yet, with poor growth and lack of sunshine over the spring, it's only inside the past week that the traditional fieriness of the fairways has started to materialise; so maybe conditions will be more like those that Els encountered towards the latter end of the year in the Matchplay.

Maybe this time he can manage to fill in a blank on his curriculum vitae. Just, maybe.