Els is cut above Europe's finest

The manner in which Ernie Els dominated the Omega European Masters has sent a warning to Ryder Cup captain Bernhard Langer.

The German chose to miss the first tournament to count as a qualifier for his 12-man squad that will defend the Cup next year.

And that was a pity because Langer would have witnessed for himself the gulf that exists between Els and players like Colin Montgomerie and Sergio Garcia, who were hailed as heroes when they helped Europe claim the Cup at the Belfry a year ago.

Neither have registered a European Tour win in 2003. By contrast, a final round of 65 for a 17-under-par 267 not only gave South African Els a six-shot victory over New Zealand's Michael Campbell in Switzerland, it was also his fourth triumph on the Tour this season and his sixth worldwide.

The best Europe could muster yesterday was a share of fourth for Andrew Coltart of Scotland, Sweden's Robert Karlsson and Italian Emanuele Canonica.