No matter who you are, payback always seems to be around the next dogleg. But transport yourself forward two days and there was the world No 2 handing over the money in a “friendly” four-ball to Vijay Singh and Charles Howell III. Why, it could be enough to ruin a man.But maybe not Els, who must have had more on his mind during practice here yesterday. History is beckoning the affable South African to become the first golfer in two long decades to win back-to-back Opens, but as ever Els will not be hurried. Indeed, he will not even be worried by the mountainous task that awaits him in the dunes of Sandwich.”I don’t think you get added pressure being the defending champion,” the 33-year-old said yesterday. “To be honest, I haven’t really felt any different this week. I know that players have won back-to-back Open Championships before, so there’s no extra pressure to get into any kind of record book or anything.

I want to stay focused, play golf and the other stuff will probably take care of itself I’ve got no added pressure.”Blimey, he is feeling it. But then, perhaps, he should, because not even Tom Watson heading for Birkdale in 1983 was in such rude health as he stood on the brink of his own Open double. Els’s five-shot victory over Darren Clarke and Phillip Price at Loch Lomond on Sunday boosted his wins-to-tournaments ratio in 2003 to better than one in four as he collected his fifth tournament of the 19 he has entered. Only Tiger Woods can boast a more impressive return this year, having won four out of 11.There is the reason that Els can appear so relaxed as the hours count down to four rounds that may just define his career. Because when Woods is in town there is only one favourite, the world No 1 becoming the seething epicentre for all expectation, leaving Els and his supporting cast to bask in the shadows. “All the attention he’s been getting here for not winning a major recently is ridiculous,” Els said. “It’s nice that he isn’t holding a Grand Slam for the first time in five years, but I don’t think he’s changed much.

Tiger’s playing so well and this week I think he’s out to prove something.”But if Woods is to prove it then he will surely have to get past Els first, a much-awaited collision between golf’s fattest cats that would have them purring in clubhouses all over the world Els, for his part, would relish such a duel “Hopefully it will happen,” he admitted. “I feel really good about this week so we’ll just wait and see. Physically I’m as good as I’ve ever been and my game has never been better I made some nice putts last week, so that was a good sign. It was a good sign to win from day one, to sleep with the pressure of leading the golf tournament. I haven’t done that since February or March.”Woods has not done it since a week last Sunday, when he completed his own “wire-to-wire” victory at the Western Open in Illinois.

It seems that whatever Els can do, Woods does first, although the one advantage the South African has this week is a prior run-out at Royal St George’s. Ten years ago, as the most talked about young tyro on tour, he became one of only a handful of players who have ever broken 70 in all four rounds. That was still nowhere near enough to overhaul Greg Norman, however.”It was a learning experience in 1993,” Els said “I did not come here then trying to win the championship I was just trying to make enough money and learn. I wasn’t like the 23-year-olds that come on to tour now, that’s for sure. I was here to have a good time.”But I think guys who have played here before will definitely have a bit of an advantage because the conditions we have at the moment are not the wind direction that normally blows here It comes from a totally opposite way. And if that starts happening then experience will count around here.”Because if the weather gets bad then this might be one of the toughest Opens of the lot You will have to accept the rough with the smooth. Take today – if I had made one putt I could have won some money.”Els was joking but will be aware that come Sunday it could all hinge on one putt.