Els ends celebration to resume pursuit of Grand Slam dream

Open winner has Woods as playing partner and chief adversary as he turns his attention to the challenge of USPGA Championship

Ernie Els had given the claret jug the week off. "It is back home in Orlando but it will travel with me the rest of the year," said the Open champion. "It has been everywhere else with me since Muirfield. There have been a few drinks out of it." What exactly he was not specifying. "Something cool," the South African said.

After his British Open victory Els, who has won two US Opens, wants a career Grand Slam. The quest continues tomorrow at the USPGA Championship at Hazeltine National. The other South African to have won all four majors, Gary Player, thinks he can do it. The feat is still rare. Tiger Woods was the fifth player to achieve it, two years ago.

Woods held all four majors at the same time last year and this season was on course for the calendar-year Grand Slam, having won the Masters and US Open, until he was blown away with an 81, his worst score as a professional, in Muirfield's third round.

It is hard to call a player who has won eight majors by the age of 26 lucky but Woods himself admitted yesterday that fortune had played its part in his successes. "It is unbelievably difficult to have your game peak at the right time and to respond to all the circumstances that occur during a week. I've had some good breaks.

"I've had bad shots end up in good positions and led to a birdie instead of a bogey. That's how you end up winning tournaments like these." But the luck run out at Muirfield and Woods, who won the Buick Open last week, appears to have put the events of that stormy Saturday on the Firth of Forth behind him.

He has certainly not been moping about. "No, I really haven't," the world No 1 said. "Anyone who has played in the Open Championship, we all know that's what can happen. I'm sure I will play in conditions like that again over there. I played at a time when the conditions were tough and I didn't play particularly well. You have to chalk it up to experience.

"Is there any extra motivation this week? No. I'll give it my best, just like I do at any other major. I'll go in with the same focus and try and peak like I have done twice this year already. The PGA is the last major of the year and it is always good to end on a good note. Only Mr Hogan and myself have won three majors in a year before. I like winning majors and I'm going to keep trying to win them."

Els, however, has picked up that the galleries would like to see others win. "I have heard comments from the general public on the course that they would like to see people compete with him, and win," Els said.

Els and Woods will be playing together for the first two days, alongside the defending champion David Toms. Playing with Woods on the Sunday of a major is a different matter, however. "It would be great to play with Tiger and compete down the stretch at a major and see what happens," Els said. "As I have said before, if Tiger is really on his game he is probably going to beat people because he is such an unbelievable competitor but I believe that if I play to my best I can really compete, too."

"All credit to Ernie for stepping in at Muirfield, but it was the weather that stopped the Grand Slam," said Colin Montgomerie. "The rules haven't changed as far as Tiger is concerned. His confidence doesn't seem to have been dented since he won last week."

Tiger's coach, Butch Harmon, has criticised Montgomerie for "giving the impression that he couldn't care" on the final day of the Open, in stark contrast to his own client, of course. "Now I'm being slated for playing too quickly," Montgomerie said.

"I was upset with the press at the Open because I thought it was unfair. I have known people who have a worse temperament on the course than me in the last few years but I get the rap."

Montgomerie said he was "totally frustrated" with his inconsistency of late – his rounds at Muirfield included a 64, a 74 and an 84 – but it was mainly due to his back. "There are days I cannot get through the ball. That is why I have started a two-year fitness programme. I would be more worried if I was shooting 75s all the time."