CHASKA, Minn. - Even after winning three majors and overcoming his own insecurities to win a British Open that nearly slipped away, Ernie Els still doesn't have the answer.

        If he must beat Tiger Woods on the final day to win a major, can the man who has finished second to Woods six times dig down deep enough to do it?

PGA AT A GLANCE

Where: Hazeltine GC; Chaska, Minn.   When: Thursday-Sunday   TV: Thurs.-Fri., TNT (2-8 p.m.); Sat.-Sun., TNT (11 a.m.-1:30), CBS (2-7 p.m.).   Defending Champion: David Toms.

        His career is peaking and his confidence is massaged daily by a sports psychologist, yet Els doesn't seem totally convinced he can handle Woods' fastball if it comes down to those two Sunday in the PGA Championship.

        Maybe that's what constantly failing against the No.1 player in golf has done to the man who legitimately has the credentials to be No.2.

        “He's such a competitive player, when he's right on his game, he can blow other people out of the water quite easily,” Els said Tuesday after a tuneup round with another chaser of the Tiger, Sergio Garcia.

        “Let's face it, we are playing in the era of one of the greatest players ever, maybe the greatest. When he tees it up, he feels that he can win, and his record is pretty good,” Els said.

        Especially Woods' record against Els, who still might be fighting the psychological damage of squandering an eight-stroke lead against Woods in the final round of the 1998 Johnnie Walker Classic in Thailand.

        Then, in the Mercedes in 2000, the two exchanged the final-round lead seven times, and Els' eagle on No.18 wasn't good enough to win. Woods also made eagle on No.18, then won with a downhill 40-foot, against-the-grain, against-all-odds putts on the second playoff hole.

        “If Tiger is on his game, he's such a competitor that he's probably still going to beat people,” Els said.

        Not all the time; Els has won six tournaments with Woods in the field, more than anyone else, and he held off Woods to win the 1999 Nissan Open in Los Angeles. But Els has never gone head-to-head with Woods on Sunday and won.

Can Woods, Garcia recreate magic of Medinah?
PGA Notebook
PGA Course Description
PGA Player Capsules

Sports Stories

Dusing wins U.S. 200 freestyle Els ready to take on Tiger? Kite commits to play in Kroger Indiana QB's compete for job

D'Backs 6, Reds 1
Reds Box, Runs
Baseball deal may be near
Q&A about baseball's labor dispute
Florence ready to play ball
Rijo gets start Hamilton wanted
Reds Notebook: Boone picked up tip on TV
Gonzalez's streak jeopardized
Cardinals 9, Pirates 5
Astros 5, Cubs 4
Angels 7, Tigers 6
Athletics 5, Blue Jays 4
Mariners 10, Red Sox 3
Jones 'wows' Bengals with potential
Simmons accepts six-year contract
Westbrook catching passes again
Bengals Notebook: Anderson plans to be burger king
NFL Notebook: Broncos' Davis may retire
Lakota rivals take game to Miami
UC, Valparaiso agree to 3-year series