‘Big Easy’ is backing Monty

ERNIE ELS, having hurt himself hitting a punchbag in March, was not looking to pick a fight with anybody at Wentworth yesterday.

So when Colin Montgomerie claimed he should be the one to beat in the Volvo PGA championship starting tomorrow the world number two did not choose to disagree, even if the bookmakers do.

Nor did Els criticise Annika Sorenstam's appearance on the US Tour, nor did he ask for the European tour to come down heavily on Seve Ballesteros and nor did he slam current Order of Merit leader Pádraig Harrington for staying away.

Montgomerie first: the Scot, winner for three years in a row from 1999 and joint runner-up to Dane Anders Hansen last year, stated firmly in a press conference: "I like Wentworth and everybody knows I like it.

"My record here is the best the best of anybody in the tournament by far. I would expect to be speaking to you here on Sunday."

By that, the supremely confident Scot, obviously meant as the winner yet again.

Yet last October Els won his fourth World Match Play title on the course and as he has also had three runners-up finishes in the PGA event his claims are pretty strong too.

But the South African commented with a smile: "I'll probably go with Monty being the player to beat.

"He's always very tough around this course he knows that and a lot of us know that.

"If he plays his normal game, he's going to be very tough to beat. That's just the nature of his game round here."

Next to Sorenstam, who at the Bank of America Colonial tournament in Fort Worth, Texas, becomes the first woman to take on the men in an official event since Babe Zaharias in 1945.

Vijay Singh controversially said last week that he hoped the Swede missed the halfway cut, but Els stated: "You have a girl that's so much better than the rest of the girls and if she wants to prove it to herself I'm all for it.

"But if she wants to prove something to us I think she's making a mistake. I'm interested to see how she's going to do it will be quite interesting how many guys she's going to beat this week.

"I can see the point where guys are asking why give her a spot if other guys are having to qualify to get into tournaments, but this is a special situation."

Ballesteros was appearing before the tour's players' committee yesterday following his Italian Open disqualification three weeks ago and subsequent claims to being persecuted by tour officials.

Els appealed for some compassion to be shown. "I say you shouldn't kick a man if he's down," he said.

"Nobody's perfect and he's made some mistakes, but I think there was a totally emotional overflow of feelings and he probably would think now he made a mistake. I'm sure it won't happen again."

And on Harrington's no-show at the tour's flagship event because he has never had a top 10 finish in the event Els joked: "I've had quite a few courses I never wanted to go back to.

"Normally the greens are a little bit rougher than we expect and the weather can also be a little bit iffy. That's the only excuse I can think of for Pádraig at this time, but the greens this week are the best I've seen at this time of year."

Els was to have played in Germany last week, but withdrew after a slight aggravation of the wrist he damaged on the punchbag set up in the garage of his home by the West Course.

"I feel 100% now it's perfect. But I haven't played a tournament in three weeks and what my form is going to be like is kind of up in the air."

The last two winners of the title have been 150-1 outsider Andrew Oldcorn and 80/1 Hansen, neither of whom were in the top 100 in the world at the time.

Els needs no reminding of the possibility.

In March the week before his injury he finished second to late replacement Robert-Jan Derksen in the Dubai Desert Classic.