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Ernie relishing Maui return

South African back at Kapalua for first time since 2005

Last updated: 8th January 2009

Els: won at Kapalua in 2003

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Ernie Els admits he is delighted to be kicking off his season at this week's Mercedes-Benz Championship - the first time he has qualified for the winners-only event since 2005.

Kapalua's hilly Plantation course in Maui, Hawaii hosts the traditional curtain-raiser for the new PGA Tour season with all the winners from 2008 getting the chance to get their new campaign off to a flyer.

Els booked his participation with victory in last year's Honda Classic and is looking forward to competing again in a tournament he won with a record 31-under-par total in 2003.

" It's good to be back," stated the South African on the eve of the event.

Reflecting on his triumph in 2003, he added: "I had four great rounds, with birdies and eagles all over the place. I've had some good times here and it really gets you off to a nice start to the year."

However, the 'Big Easy' revealed he had endured an arduous journey from Cape Town before finally touching down in Maui.

"It was a long flight, 26 hours in the air from Cape Town, but we finally got here and it's great to be here," he continued. "It's a wonderful spot and a great start to the year for me.

"We left Cape Town and refuelled in Recife, which is in South America.

"Then we went to Palm Beach (in Florida), spent an evening there and the next morning we flew from Palm Beach, ten hours. So it was 16 hours and then ten."

Els went on to concede that fitness and form have not been as he would have liked in recent years with the South African's third and last major title coming at the 2002 Open Championship.

However, the 39-year-old is working hard to scale those heights again and believes he still has big victories left in him.

"I came back before the end of that year (2005) but the knee was still swollen," he said.

"Even after that, it was another six months for the knee to really start feeling where it was almost back to normal. It's been a bit of a climb since then.

"I've had some really good tournaments and had some really close finishes, even in majors, but not quite on the same level as 2004, so I'm trying to get back there."