Ernie celebrates one El of a round

Ernie Els instantly reaped the benefits of a new approach to the Volvo PGA championship at Wentworth today, equalling the course record with an eight-under-par 64.

Three times a runner-up in the event, the world number three said he planned to attack the West Course in the manner which has brought him a record-equalling five World Match Play titles. It worked brilliantly. As he signed his scorecard he was three clear of the star-studded field.

The crowd who got up early to see Els, defending champion Ignacio Garrido and local man Paul Casey tee off at 8.10am certainly got their money’s worth.

Ryder Cup hopeful Casey was in the share for second place until he bogeyed the par-five last for a 68, while Garrido, who out-scored Els in the final round last year and then beat Trevor Immelman in a play-off, eagled the long 12th as he posted a 67.

They were a collective 17 under par.

Els made a 14-footer on the last for his eighth birdie and with that matched the mark set by Wayne Riley in 1991 and equalled since by Angel Cabrera and Jarrod Moseley.

Casey hit back brilliantly after venting his fury on the short second, where his tee shot spun off the green and down the steep slope.

He slammed his club back into the bag, but after bogeying the hole he birdied the next, eagled the fourth and added further birdies at the sixth and seventh to match Els’s outward 31.

However, the course was not playing as easily as the three were making it look.

Open champion Ben Curtis double-bogeyed the eighth and after 16 holes was two over par, Lee Westwood was on the same mark after 17 and Immelman, winner of the Deutsche Bank-SAP Open in Heidelberg on Sunday, opened with a double bogey and with two to go was three over.

Garrido shared second spot with Australian left-hander Richard Green and Belgian youngster Nicolas Colsaerts.

Colin Montgomerie, Darren Clarke and Singh were among the later starters, Singh appearing in Europe for the first time this season after a brilliant run in America which has taken him close to Tiger Woods at the top of the rankings.

Many players, Els among them, consider him the best player right now, but the Fijian has made it his burning ambition to climb above Woods.

“I won’t be fulfilled unless I’m there at number one,” he said. “I’ve made a goal that I want to finish my career ranked number one at least once.

“I don’t have that many years to go – five, six, maybe seven – but I plan to do that and I’m playing good enough.”

Singh, now 41, was 25 when he came through the European tour qualifying school at the second attempt in 1988.

“I played with the best guys like Seve (Ballesteros) and (Nick) Faldo when they were at their best. I wasn’t at their standard at that time but I learned a lot.

“I also remember seeing Greg Norman in Australia in 1986 or 1987, something like that. He hit a ball on a par three that came out like a cannon and I turned to a friend and said ‘That’s what I want to be able to do one day.’

“I remember thinking about what I needed to do to be where I am now. But I never thought I was going to get here.”

Faldo, a four-time PGA champion, is playing this week, but Ballesteros has not played competitively since last October and has now said he doubts whether he will again because of an arthritic back.

Welshman David Park had a day of mixed fortunes, to say the least. He had eagles at the fourth and 12th, but then came a triple-bogey eight on the 17th and he finished with a 72.