Els defends position to play in Singapore

Last year, Ernie Els signed a three-year committment to play at the Barclays Singapore Open, which will be played this week.  The last event of the European Tour, the Volvo Masters in Spain, is also taking place this week.  Due to Els' committment to  the Singapore Open, he will not play at the Volvo Masters--a controversial decision to some, considering Els is atop the European Tour's Order of Merit. But Els said in an article by John O'Brien of Reuters, "The decision to play in Singapore was made last year.  I'd love to play the Volvo Masters but if they screw up the dates then so be it.  The European Tour knew that I have a three-year commitment to the Singapore Open and I do not make the decision on when a tournament falls, so it's just one of those things."  Els could be knocked out of the number one position by Padraig Harrington, Justin Rose, Niclas Fasth, or Henrik Stenson.