When your first name is not Tiger, and you're not number one in the world, you get asked a lot of dumb questions. Ernie Els is finding out the hard way, and he's starting to acknowledge the fact.

Take St Andrews last Thursday, the first day of the British Open. Els had just shot an opening round 66 and the first question that he faced from an American hack was about . . . Tiger Woods.

"Come on you guys, give me a break," came the South African's response.

But it was too late. The psychological blow had already hit home and, by Sunday evening, Els' demeanour had changed somewhat. No longer the bravado that the Tiger could be tamed, no nonsense about his work with David Leadbetter (since the US Masters) being more of the mental than technical type which would enable him to compete with, and even beat, the said Mr Woods.

No, by Sunday evening, before the silver Claret Jug was even handed over to the world's newest Grand Slam champion, Els was in a position to admit: "I'm playing a different tournament. I play the regular tour event and Tiger plays his own. In one way it is incredible to watch a guy play so much better than the rest of the world. And it is tough to sit down and talk about him every time. I might have to get used to it, but I guess it's the way it goes."

Some would say that Els is an accomplished master when it comes to discussing Woods. In the US Masters at Augusta, he was runner-up. Same in the US Open at Pebble Beach - where he spent an hour after his round talking with journalists about Woods' apparent dominance - and, again, the same scenario at St Andrews on Sunday last, where he finished tied-second with Thomas Bjorn.

Ten per cent of the talk was about Els, the rest about Woods . . . and in a deferential manner at that.

When you hear the world's number two player - which Els is, having leapfrogged over David Duval in the world rankings after the British Open - admit that, no matter how well he played, he couldn't have matched Woods' score of 19-under-par at St Andrews, then you begin to wonder who will be his real challenger.

For instance, who will do to Woods what Jack Nicklaus did to Arnold Palmer?

"We don't all have Tiger's ability, so it is tough at times," said Els. "I'm probably living in an era where we're going to see the next great player. I've got to play really well and he's got to have a mediocre week for me to have a chance to beat him."

With such negative thoughts coming from someone installed as the world number two, it would appear that Woods has got the rest of the players, regardless of their ability, running scared.

Despite a season that could see Els achieve a Grand Slam of seconds - "I could have sneaked the Masters, but I didn't really have much of a chance playing the last days (in the US Open or British Open)," he said - and jump ahead of Darren Clarke to the top of the European Tour money list, there is a sense that his targets are some way below those of Woods.

And, yet, Els is clinging to the hope that, apart from Woods just having a bad day, that there is a way to close the gap on him. How? "I've got to make a lot more putts," explained Els.

"Every time I watch the highlights on television in the evenings, I see the number of putts that Tiger is making. I am not making those putts. That's probably where he is beating me at the moment."

Meanwhile, Philip Walton has received a sponsor's invitation to play in this week's Dutch Open, which starts on Thursday. Currently 150th in the Order of Merit, with earnings of £24,063, the former Ryder Cup player needs to win an estimated £70,000 to regain the tour card he lost last season.

The other Irish players in the field are Darren Clarke, Padraig Harrington, Paul McGinley, Eamonn Darcy, Des Smyth and Gary Murphy.