Ernie Els was supposed to be on the comeback trail. He won the Alfred Dunhill last December after a five-month layoff due to a knee injury. It was the second tourney after his comeback. Then he finished second in the South Africa Open.

Since then – zip. No wins in the 2006 calendar year.

It appears there are some lingering doubts, mostly mental, after his knee injury. Els says his knee is fine, but it’s caused problems with that famously smooth swing of his. He also says his admittedly – shall we say portly? – body isn’t helping matters.

“If the accident had happened with my right knee, it would have been a little different,” Els told reporters. “There is a lot of torque you put onto your left leg…When all the weight gets onto the left knee, you tend to straighten the leg in order not to feel pain, and that isn’t the way to hit a golf ball.”

Els did finish fourth at the Nedbank Challenge, and says he’s working his way out of his slump.

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