What would it have been like for someone like Ernie Els, and those others cast in the role of pursuers, if Tiger Woods hadn't come along to dominate world golf?

"You know," answered the world's number three-ranked player in that South African twang of his, "if it wasn't for one guy, I think Phil (Mickelson) would have two or three majors by now, and I think David (Duval) would probably have won the Masters a couple of times. And, who knows, maybe I could have won four or five.

"I think this guy, Tiger, is just a totally different talent than the world has ever seen."

Professional golf, and especially in the majors, isn't played in a fantasy world, however. The reality is that it is the player who can carve out a score on a course set-up to play as tough and as devilishly difficult as it possibly can is the one who walks away with the plaudits. Invariably, in recent times, that man has been Woods.

After the US Open, there was some criticism from former legends - including Gary Player and Lee Trevino - who argued that players like Mickelson, Duval and Els were not providing a sufficiently strong challenge to Woods's dominance.

"I thought the criticism was unfair. I work hard at everything in my game. When I have had it going, I have still got beat by Tiger. Maybe I am not good enough, who knows? But I think it is unfair the way people from the outside criticise you because you don't beat the guy."

And, yet, Els, with six top-10 finishes, including two as runners-up, in 10 British Open appearances, must believe that the British Open represents a chance for him to increase his majors haul beyond the two US Open titles he has claimed. Indeed, for a player whose game was nurtured on the tropical parkland courses of South Africa, he claims to have a real affinity with links golf.

"I enjoy links golf. We don't get an opportunity to play links courses that often anymore so, when we do, I like to grab it and play. It is different from the golf we normally play, which is target golf all the time. We're coming back to the game's roots on a links course and I kind of enjoy playing that kind of golf," said Els.

He also thinks that more players have a chance to beat Woods on a course like Muirfield than, say, Bethpage where last month's US Open was staged. "The shorter the course, the more people can be in it - especially the way they set up major championship courses. They're all very narrow and the rough is up that you can't believe in some places, but a short course definitely brings more people in."

Els, though, isn't sure if he is the one that will end Woods's stranglehold on the majors this year.

"It is not quite there," he says. "My swing is not tight enough. The ball position is out a little here and there and it can become quite a problem at times. If you hit any kind of a loose shot into the rough here, you are going to be penalised at least one shot. All I can hope is that, by Thursday, I will get something going."

If he doesn't, and Tiger wins again, he can prepare his ears for another bashing from some of the game's so-called "old generation".

Meanwhile, US Ryder Cup player Paul Azinger yesterday withdrew from the championship citing a "minor injury" as the reason.