Els confirms Loch Lomond place

The Barclays Scottish Open organisers finally got the news they wanted today when world number three Ernie Els confirmed he will be playing at Loch Lomond this week.

Twice winner Els waited until the eve of the tournament to commit himself, having felt the need for a break after disappointing performances in the Masters and US Open.

He flew home to South Africa last week for the funeral of his grandfather, but returned to action in the JP McManus Pro-am in the west of Ireland on Monday and Tuesday.