Singh the one now for Els

Battle for world number one spot: If the word is true, then Tiger Woods - apparently due to tie the knot with fiancée Elin Nordegren in the Barbados tomorrow - will have much more than golf on his mind this week.

But for the two players ahead of him in the world rankings, Vijay Singh and Ernie Els, the dunhill links championship in Scotland represents another opportunity to open up more ground over the man who held the world number one position for a record time until relinquishing his crown a month ago.

Singh, after being forced to withdraw from the American Express championship because of hurricane damage to his home in Florida, returns to tournament action in the dunhill links where Els, re-energised by his win in Mount Juliet, will be as determined to close the gap on the Fijian in the world rankings as he is to put more ground behind himself and third-placed Woods.

"I've been chasing Tiger for the last five or six years and now it seems like I've got to chase Vijay," admitted Els, "but that's fine, because I just feel that I am in a much better frame of mind right now. I think the game is on (in trying to catch Singh) well and truly. Vijay has won eight times this year, I've won four. So, it is kind of interesting."

Ironically, Els was the one who had chances during the summer to leapfrog Woods into the the world number one spot. If he had won the British Open, he would have done it. He lost in a play-off. If he had won the US PGA, he would have succeeded. Instead, it was Singh who won there.

Now, Els is the one immediately pursuing Singh and it is a prospect that he relishes but he doesn't intend to alter his schedule dramatically to include more tournaments in the United States - which offer greater world ranking points - to the detriment of continuing to play on the European Tour or a greater number of tournaments in South Africa.

"You know, there's a world out there, it's not only the United States . . . I am not going to turn my back on the European Tour. I'm actually trying to put some more tournaments on my schedule in South Africa because I feel I need to support the people down there. That's where I come from. They're going to move their tour forward to November, December so I will try and do that.

"I'll probably take a couple of events out of my schedule in Europe and put it back it back more into the US Tour but, long term, I'll keep doing what I am doing."

As for chasing Singh? "I don't think the hype will be the same with Vijay as it was with Tiger. Vijay's got so much talent, and to get where he has got right now is down to hard work and I don't think he is going to let it slip.

"Our careers have been very similar over the past 10 years. If Vijay keeps playing like he has been doing, then he will be tough to beat. But I don't think there is going to be that gap like Tiger opened up. I don't think it will be as tough (to catch him)."

So, the dunhill links will be the first time that Singh and Els will have played in a tournament as the top two players in the world. It may well give us a hint to what lies ahead in the future.