Els takes it easy in preparation for Tuscon

After previously announcing that he planned to skip the World Golf Championships event, Els changed his mind late last week, scrapping a trip to his native South Africa and instead flying from his English base to the Arizona desert.

"I had a nice long break in December and January and I felt like I had enough rest, so to speak," Els said on the eve of Wednesday's opening round at Dove Mountain.

"I was supposed to be holidaying with the kids, and while they would have loved to be in South Africa right now, they are here with me this week. They were fine with it, coming here with the old man."

Of course, Els' two children - eight-year-old Samantha and five-year-old Ben - don't exactly rough it when they travel with the old man.

As Els spoke, his children were enjoying a day trip to the Grand Canyon, courtesy of dad's private jet.

"I just felt this is a big event," continued Els. "To be honest, my record is not great. I haven't had my game in previous years and was waiting for other guys to make mistakes and they haven't made mistakes.

"They kept beating me, so I've got to have a bit of a different mindset coming in. I've been here since Sunday, so I've been doing a bit of work on my game. I'm striking the ball quite nicely."

Els has advanced past the second round just once in seven appearances in this event, in stark contrast to his magnificent record in the World Match Play Championship at Wentworth, where he has won six times.

Asked to explain the difference, he said: "I think a major influence might be because I'm sleeping in my own bed. I don't have to fly 12 hours to get there.

"At Wentworth it's a totally different format (each match over 36 holes instead of 18), a different course, different circumstances."

If Els wasn't battle scarred by all his bad beats at the hands of Tiger Woods, among others, over the years, recent history has not been kind to him either.

First there was the inexplicable final hole meltdown at the Alfred Dunhill Championship where, needing only a bogey at the final hole to win, he took a disastrous triple bogey for perhaps the most shocking defeat of his career.

Then there was the Dubai Desert Classic, where he found the water with his second shot at the par-five 18th to hand victory to, you guessed it, Woods.

"Those two tournaments I really should have won but, to be honest with you, I've taken some big blows in the last four or five years, so it's something I know I can overcome," he said.

"I really want to get into the mix here in the States and really get close to winning tournaments, or even giving myself a chance.

"I think if I can get over that little hill, things will go smoother, but it's been a tough couple of years. I've got to keep going, keep fighting and keep working on my game."

Els' first round opponent is American Jonathan Byrd, while Swede Henrik Stenson faces a dangerous opening encounter against Australian Robert Allenby, who has been on the verge of playing very well lately.

Stenson is the defending champion, but he was a little disappointing for the rest of 2007, failing to seriously contend again.

He has started 2008 nicely, with top-10 finishes in his three starts, so he appears to be getting back on track, but his preparation hasn't been the best.

"Today is the first day I feel a little energetic," said Stenson, who has been suffering from a cold and stomach bug. "I played 18 holes and felt fine.

"Coming back to any event you've won is always great. When I think back to last year's tournament, there were so many times I could have gotten knocked out. You understand how small the margins are."