Westwood gets a welcome word from Els

Ernie Els today welcomed the return of Lee Westwood to golf's elite - even though it has cost the world No2 South African his seventh victory of the year and a small fortune in prize money.

Five weeks ago Westwood was in the depths of despair after a three-year slump had sent the 2000 European Order of Merit winner plunging from fourth in the world rankings to a position well outside the top 200.

Then, out of the blue, the Ryder Cup star won the BMW International in Munich and, on Sunday, he consolidated his comeback with a onestroke victory over Els at the Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland.

It left Els more than £160,000 out of pocket but he begrudged not a single penny of the difference between the size of the cheques for first and second place. As the two men prepared to do battle in the American Express World Championship at the Capital City Club here, Els said: "Lee is a special player with a special talent.

"Every player goes into a little bit of a slump, but it doesn't mean you're gone. You can always come back and when it happens, like it has to Lee, it's great to see. It shows the player has a lot of character, and it shows other players that you can turn things around.

"If anybody thought Germany was a fluke, the Dunhill proved that Lee's back to his best again. People forget how good he really was, and if he plays the same golf again like he did in 2000 he can challenge anybody." That includes defending AMEX champion Tiger Woods, who again finds the snipers accusing him of his own mini-slump as he completes a season without a major title for the first time in five years. The reality is that Woods has won four of his 15 tournaments on the US PGA Tour this year, enjoyed 14 top 20 finishes, and has banked nearly £3.5million in prize money.