Els to use 'super driver' to beat Tiger

Ernie Els today revealed he will use one of the controversial new breed of 'hot' golf clubs in a bid to beat world No 1 Tiger Woods.

Els will compete against Woods in the £1.7 million Deutsche Bank-SAP Tournament Players Championship of Europe at the St Leon-Rot course here with a driver that has split the sport because of its design and construction.

Like similar clubs marketed by rival manufacturers Callaway, the Taylor-Made 300 'R' series employs a face of variable thickness to produce what the golf authorities term a "trampoline effect". Basically, this means the face of the club rebounds upon impact to fire the ball much further than a conventional club.

Such drivers are banned in the United States, where the United States Golf Association is the governing body. But they are considered legal in most countries which come under the jurisdiction of the St Andrews-based Royal and Ancient Golf Club.

Els, No 3 in the world, claimed the TaylorMade driver - retailing for £399 - allows him to drive the ball between 10 and 15 yards further down the fairway.

"It closes the gap on Tiger," he said. "This club performs like it is on steroids."

One of the sport's legends, Jack Nicklaus, has led a vigorous protest over the increasing use of technology to produce equipment that is changing the traditional nature of golf.

But Els said: "You can't blame the club-makers. These guys are being paid to improve the technology."

Amazingly, Woods cannot use the new drivers - because he is too accurate for his own good. He explained: "The problem with my clubhead speed and the consistency with which I find the same spot on the face every time is that I cave it in. It wouldn't be good out there if I caved in a driver playing a tournament."

Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Nicklaus are to contest the Senior British Open together for the first time. The Royal County Down Golf Club hosts the tournament from 26-29 July.