Els-Woods rivalry brewing in third major of the season

Both golfers are playing well heading into the event at Royal St. George's.
SANDWICH, England (AP) -- The last time Ernie Els played a British Open at Royal St. George's, he was just a big kid with a sweet swing and no illusions of actually winning the tournament.
A decade later, the Big Easy arrived at this lunarlike links near the English Channel with a totally different mind-set.
He's the defending champion. He's coming off an impressive performance last week. Along with Tiger Woods, he's the man to beat.
"I'm feeling physically as good as I've ever been," Els said Tuesday. "My short game is good. And my long game is good. There's no reason why I shouldn't be playing well now."
Ultimate challenge
He's even looking forward to the most challenging scenario in golf: a Sunday pairing with Woods, going mano-a-mano with a major championship on the line.
None of their previous encounters -- and there have been some memorable ones -- occurred in the biggest tournaments. But both of these imposing players are on top of their games, a collision long overdue.
Woods is coming off a wire-to-wire victory in the Western Open. Els led from start to finish at the Scottish Open last week.
"He's playing really well," Els said. "I have been playing well. So hopefully it happens. Who knows? I really feel good about this week. We'll just wait and see."
In 1993, Woods was still in high school when Els played at Royal St. George's, getting a firsthand look at one of the most memorable British championships.
Greg Norman shot a final-round 64 to claim his second major title against a memorable group of challengers: Nick Faldo, Corey Pavin, Bernhard Langer, Fred Couples, Wayne Grady, Tom Kite and Mark Calcavecchia -- all major title winners.
"You get some majors where the best players in the world have a good tournament, and that happened here in '93," Els recalled. "I really think that was one of the best Opens ever."
Els, only 23 at the time, wasn't out of place. He wound up tied for sixth.
"I definitely did not come here to try to win that championship," Els said. "I was just trying to make enough money and learn, and that's what I did that year. I had a very good tournament."
Scenario
This time around, Royal St. George's would be the perfect place for Els and Woods to spark a legitimate rivalry, something that would stir the golfing passions like Arnie & amp; Jack.
Woods, without a major trophy for the first time in four years, shot down any suggestions he was in a slump two weeks ago with a five-stroke victory in the Western, his fourth win of the season.
"Tiger is playing really well," Els said. "And I think from all the press he's getting -- not winning a major in a year, which I think is ridiculous -- I think he's going to try to prove something and have a good week."
If that happens, Els doesn't plan on just rolling over. He won by five strokes at Loch Lomond, his fifth victory of the year.
Actually, the prospect of Woods vs. Els has been brewing since the beginning of the year.
The Big Easy won the first two PGA Tour events in Hawaii, then added two more victories in Australia as Woods was recovering from surgery on his left knee. Woods returned from an eight-week layoff by winning three of his four tournaments.
But the majors?
Those belonged to Mike Weir (Masters) and Jim Furyk (U.S. Open).
Woods finished out of the top 10 in both, falling out of contention with a bad swing at Augusta National and a bad third round at Olympia Fields. Els finished better at both majors, but he wasn't a factor, either.
"You're not going to win every one, but at least you can give yourself a chance on Sunday," Woods said. "That's one of the things I haven't been able to do."
Playing field
He has encountered a revolving door of rivals since crashing onto the PGA Tour with his 12-stroke victory in the 1997 Masters -- Els, David Duval, Sergio Garcia, Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh, and back to Els.
Even though seven players have won at least twice this year, the gap remains.
"After the first couple of majors this year, you would feel that the players are closing on Tiger, wouldn't you?" Nick Faldo said. "But I'm sure Tiger is more than aware of that. He's going to make a big effort this week."
Woods, as usual, won't be baited into a rivalry -- not even with Els, a close friend.
"There are more than just the two of us playing the event," he said. "If you were playing a match-play event, just he and I, one-on-one, that's a different story."
Els won last year at Muirfield with two brilliantly played bunker shots, one on the fifth and final playoff hole that earned him his third major and a precious claret jug.
He will try to become the first repeat British champion since Tom Watson in 1982-83. Luck and local knowledge might be as important as skill, especially with severely undulating fairways that can send even the best drives into the rough.
"Guys who have played here before definitely have a bit of an advantage," Els said. "It is a golf course unlike any of the other links. At times, you think you're playing on the moon."