Els opts to play in WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship

By Mark Lamport-Stokes

PACIFIC PALISADES, California (Reuters) - Ernie Els has decided to launch his 2008 PGA Tour campaign earlier than scheduled and will play in next week's WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, his manager said on Thursday.

The globe-trotting Els, on European Tour duty in Dubai and India over the last two weeks, had initially planned to make his first appearance in the United States at the Feb. 29-March 2 Honda Classic.

"Ernie feels fine and will play in Tucson next week," his manager Andrew Chandler told Reuters in a text message.

The elite Accenture Match Play Championship, being held at Dove Mountain's Gallery Golf Club in Arizona for the second year in a row, features the top 64 players in the world.

Although South African Els has won the European Tour's World Match Play Championship at Wentworth a record seven times, he has struggled to make an impact in the PGA Tour's equivalent.

In seven appearances, he has been knocked out in the opening round four times, most recently by Britain's Bradley Dredge last year.

Els's best performance came in 2001 when the event was held in Australia for the first time and he reached the semi-finals, losing to Swede Pierre Fulke 2&1.

Swede Henrik Stenson won last year's Accenture Match Play Championship, beating holder Geoff Ogilvy of Australia 2&1 in the final.