Reigning Open champion Ernie Els is looking forward to getting back on the birdie trail at the BMW International this week after a punishing week in America.
The South African tied fourth at the US Open at Merion on Sunday thanks to an impressive one-under-par final round of 69.
That saw him post a five-over total for the event, won by England’s Justin Rose who finished one over.
Els carded five birdies in his final round, having managed just 13 all week on the relatively short but brutal Pennsylvania course.
However, he is hoping for a less draining experience in Munich, where the tour-nament returns for its 25th anniversary.
“I’ve been coming here for a long time and hopefully the course is not as tough as Merion it will be nice to putt for a birdie now and again,” Els said.
“I’ve had a couple of mixed results, but I’ve played well here for the most part. I didn’t play too well a couple of years ago after the US Open at Pebble Beach but normally I like it.
“Partly because, as I say, if you play half decently you can putt for a lot of birdies and actually make a score.
“The course is not going to lie over and die for you so you have to hit the shots and make the putts but at least you feel mentally that you’ve got a better chance of being able to do that.”
While conditions in Germany may be soft like Merion, the course is nowhere near as punishing.
“Hopefully it’s not 22 under par, but it’s going to be low, because it’s soft,” added Els, who partnered world heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko in the pro-am.
“They have had a lot of rain here, so the course will be soft and when conditions are soft these guys will make birdies so you have to try to shoot a 66 every round.”
European Ryder Cup stars Sergio Garcia and Martin Kaymer and United States counterpart Dustin Johnson are also in the field this week having made the same trip back across the Atlantic as Els.
The Scots competing are David Drysdale, Gary Orr, Callum MacAulay, Scott Jamieson, Peter Whiteford, Colin Montgomerie, Scott Henry, Craig Lee, Marc Warren and Chris Doak.
* Tiger Woods will not defend his AT&T National title at Congressional due to an elbow strain and is not expected to play again before The Open at Muirfield next month.