GOLF/Sun City Challenge: Ernie Els will be looking for a record-equalling third win when he joins the exclusive 12-man field for the $2 million Sun City Challenge today.

The invitation tournament at the Gary Player Country Club features five of the top 10 players on the world rankings, including Padraig Harrington, and eight of the top 13. Darren Clarke is also in the field.

Els, ranked third in the world, won the event in 1999 and 2000 and was only beaten in last year's event when Sergio Garcia chipped in on the first hole of their sudden-death play-off.

The South African has posted 24 consecutive sub-par rounds in the event stretching back to 1996 and, after winning his first British Open at Muirfield this year - his third major title, is a firm favourite to make it a hat-trick of wins to equal Nick Price's record.

World number four Garcia, who fired a final round 63 last year to force the play-off, is second favourite.

"The round Sergio played last year was the kind of round that not many golfers have the ability to play," said Els, who beat Garcia in the final of the World Matchplay at Wentworth in October.

"Off the course we are great friends, but on the course we have a very friendly rivalry - after he got me here last year I suppose we're 1-1 at the moment."

Five of the last eight tournaments have gone to play-offs and Garcia is expecting another close affair this week.

"Those statistics show just how good and tight the field is," Garcia said. "And to have another match-up with Ernie like we had last year would be great."

Low scoring has been a feature of the event in recent years, with Harrington carding a course record 61 on his debut last year.

Harrington returns in fine form after winning the Asian Open in Taiwan last weekend, but will face a tougher prospect than the soft, receptive greens which aided scoring on his first visit.

Members of the Gary Player Country Club say the greens this year are unusually firm and fast and more tricky than ever.

The addition of several new fairway bunkers will also place a premium on accuracy on a course which measures a testing 7,667 yards off the back tees.

The event also features world number five Retief Goosen and Colin Montgomerie, winner of this event in 1996 and 10th in the world rankings.

The field is completed by Price, New Zealand's Michael Campbell, Robert Allenby of Australia and Americans Chris DiMarco, Jim Furyk and Bob Estes.

Meanwhile, across in the Pacific, four-time defending champion Tiger Woods fired a six-under par 66 on Tuesday to seize a three-stroke lead over Justin Leonard after the first half of the 36-hole PGA Grand Slam of Golf in Hawaii.

Woods eagled the par-five second hole and added three birdies on the front nine as well as another on the 14th hole to cap a bogey-free round at the four-man, $1 million event open only to major championship winners.

US PGA champion Rich Beem and Davis Love finished at par 72, six strokes off Woods's pace at the 7,064-yard Poipu Bay Golf Club course in quest of a $400,000 top prize.

"I'm staying here," Beem joked. "I may never go home."

The event is supposed to feature the year's four major champions, but Els is in Sun City and Woods won both the US Open and Masters, the first man in 30 years to achieve that in the same year.

As a result, Woods and Beem were joined by fellow Americans Love and Leonard based on a points system involving prior major winners and their finish at this year's majors.

Woods was runner-up to Els in his first appearance at this tournament in 1997 but has won it every year since.