Dubai Desert ClassicFor a brief moment it seemed as if Ernie Els was experiencing a mirage, or that the heat had got to him. After all, with the sun so strong you could fry an egg on a stone, and with none of the sights or sounds of the ocean available, not to mention the lack of wind, how could he possibly envisage recreating a course here similar to a traditional links?
The answer, to a certain extent, lies in oil money which makes almost anything possible: Ernie's course is also part of a national sports campus.
Still, when Els, the world's number three ranked golfer and considered the main threat to pre-tournament favourite Tiger Woods in the Dubai Desert Classic, which starts today over the United Arab Emirates course, slipped into that faraway, trance-like state yesterday, and started talking of acquiring "a nice piece of land . . . the first time that I've seen land like this in the desert, it's got beautiful dunes", it seemed as if he'd ever so mildly lost the plot.
In fact, on further expansion of his ideas, what Els has in mind for a course he has been asked to design in the desert is to give it links appeal, while realising that it will be impossible to replicate what nature has given to the world's great seaside courses.
"We're not going to bulldoze a Carnoustie or a Ballybunion," he explained, "we're looking at getting the players away off the tee to a nice wide area. We're looking at Royal Melbourne bunkering, and then making it into a second-shot golf course, (to) really trick it up around the greens a little bit. To catch the guy out with his short game, to test him."
That Els, visibly excited at the project that has landed in his lap, has been asked to create the golf course is no surprise, given the loyalty that the oil sheikhs extend to players who have supported this particular tournament.
A year ago - in an event that apparently was Els' for the taking only for Dutchman Robert Jan-Derksen to outmanoeuvre him at the death - Woods stayed away because of the impending conflict in Iraq, while Colin Montgomerie (less understandably, given that he'd only recently designed a course across the road) also stayed away.
The pictures and hoardings of Monty that were to be seen everywhere a year ago are nowhere this time round. Woods, who has kept his promise to play this year, and Els have been given the star billing.
The Scot, though, is here this time and seeking to garner world ranking points in his concerted effort to make the field for the Players' Championship later this month. Indeed, those world rankings seemingly occupy the minds of just about everybody, if for reasons different to Montgomerie's.
Padraig Harrington and Darren Clarke - 11th and 13th respectively in the world - are looking to return to the top 10, and Els is looking to narrow the gap on Woods, the number one.
In his mind, the South African believes it is entirely possible to take the top ranking away from Woods, who is closing in on Greg Norman's record stretch.
Is it possible to overtake Woods? "Vijay (Singh) has been playing very well for a long time now, and I've been playing pretty well for two years," Els said.
"It's not like you win a tournament, maybe win a big event, and you're the next challenger for the number one spot . . . you have to sustain a certain level of play and that's what I have been doing for a long period. You've got to be consistent.
"You have to play well over a long period of time, and maybe if Tiger has an off-season or maybe an off couple of months then, maybe, you can bridge the gap.
"It's definitely not just, 'now I am going to beat him . . . I am going to win eight in a row and be number one', (because) it is not that simple. You have to steadily climb up that ladder."
On his only previous appearance here, in 2001, Woods lost out to Thomas Bjorn after going head-to-head with the Dane for four days. Els is the only two-time winner of the tournament - in 1994 and again in 2002, both times at the Emirates - and, if any course fits his eye, this is it.
He holds the course record 61, and remarked: "I love playing this course, and I've had good success here. All I want to try and do is try to shoot my low scores and then see what Tiger does. I'm sure that's what he is going to do, too."
All Els has to do is reflect on last year to know that it is dangerous to discount anyone. "It's definitely not an Ernie-Tiger show. Obviously he is world number one and he has just come off a victory and he is feeling good about his game, (but) you've got 150 players in the field and you've got to watch out. Last year was a great example of that."
Indeed, as Woods informed us, the secret to winning tournaments is not how well you play when swinging well, rather how well you score when playing poorly.
"I'm just trying to get my consistency right day in and day out," he said, "trying to get the club in the right position day in and day out so that a bad round is not over par. So that when you struggle, and haven't played your best, but still shoot 69, then when you do play well you can shoot that low score. It's not about how good the good days are, everyone out here can shoot low numbers; it's how bad your bad days are."
FIRST ROUND
(selected)
Today (Second Round, tomorrow)
All times Irish am
3.00 (7.20) - G McDOWELL, M Foster (Eng), S Dodd (Wal).
3.00 (7.20) - P LAWRIE, R Green (Aus), R Muntz (Neth).
3.50 (8.10) - T Bjorn (Den), I Poulter (Eng), D CLARKE.
4.00 (8.20) - L Westwood (Eng), E Els (RSA), T Jaidee (Thai).
8.00 (3.30) - P HARRINGTON, R-J Derksen (Neth), C Montgomerie (Scot)
8.00 (3.30) - P Broadhurst (Eng), M Olander (Swe), G MURPHY .
8.20 (3.50) - MA Jimenez (Spa), P Casey (Eng), T Woods (US).
8.30 (4.00) - D McGRANE, B Banks (Eng), J Van de Velde (Fra).
8.40 (4.10) - P McGINLEY, M O'Meara (US), M Siem (Ger).
