Dunhill Links Championship: Leading American golfers are unlikely to change their schedules after the European Tour raised the number of mandatory events for membership to 12 tournaments, Ernie Els said on the eve of the Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland today.

Players including world number two Phil Mickelson have mooted playing more events in Europe to qualify for next year's multi-million euro Road to Dubai event, but Els said the European Tour's move had probably scuppered that.
   
"For US players to change their schedules and play here, I don't think so," said Els in St Andrews.
   
"Mickelson has indicated he wants to play a bit more around the world, he's bought a new airplane so I think he can put some miles on it.
   
"But I don't know if there's going to be special exemptions for players to play in the Race to Dubai. If that's not the case I don't know if the (American) guys will really change their schedules to that extent."
   
The European Tour upped the minimum number of events to qualify for Tour membership from 11 to 12 yesterday plus two of those events must be played in Europe as events have previously suffered from weakened fields.

The four majors and three World Golf Championship events all count towards European Tour membership, meaning players would have to compete in a further five events to have a chance of qualifying for Dubai.
   
South African Els said he would continue to commit to the US and European Tours next season.
   
"I think to raise it to 12 is really not all that much to ask players to do, you can play both tours. A lot of the younger players are doing it now, so it's very do-able," the world number eight said.
   
Els said the PGA Tour might run into financial difficulties next season that could yet force players to change their schedules.
   
"With the US economy there are some big questions there. I would think that some of the financial and motor companies might be in a bit of stress."

Pádraig Harrington, meanwhile, has admitted he is still struggling to come to terms with his astonishing success of winning two major titles this season.

The Dubliner has won the last two major championships, becoming the first European to successfully defend The British Open since 1906 at Birkdale and following that with victory in the US PGA Championship at Oakland Hills.

With three major titles to his name, Harrington is still a long way from catching the injured Tiger Woods (14) or Jack Nicklaus (18), but he has surpassed the achievements of European greats Ian Woosnam, Sandy Lyle, Bernhard Langer and Jose Maria Olazabal.

"When I look at the guys who I put up on a pedestal as I was growing up, now I have more majors than them and it startles me a bit and shocks me a bit," said Harrington at his press conference in Scotland.

"I wouldn't necessarily feel that comfortable as maybe I should in that sort of situation. I've won more majors than those guys and they were my heroes. That's a hard one. That's probably the toughest one to get to grips with.

"If I was to catch Seve (Ballesteros) at five or Nick (Faldo) at six, it would be something that I'd have to get my head around and that's going to be one of  the tasks; to believe it and to go ahead and do it."

Even Ballesteros and Faldo failed to win more than two different major titles - Ballesteros claiming three Opens and two US Masters, Faldo three of each - and
Harrington admits: "A Grand Slam is a different kettle of fish."

"I've won two of the four. Yes, if I was going to win another major, I would like it to be one of the other two, but I'm not going to be picky.

"I'll settle for just winning The Open every year. That would do okay."

Harrington has not played since winning only half a point for the second Ryder Cup in succession and admitted he is tired after an exhausting season.

But he insisted nothing would have stopped him from attempting to win a third Dunhill Links Championship this week in Scotland, a victory that would almost certainly see him end the year as European number one again.

"I would be better off with a break but I would never not be here. I'd crawl over to this tournament," added Harrington, whose only other counting event towards the Order of Merit will be the season-ending Volvo Masters at Valderrama.

"This is a week that I really do enjoy. The golf courses (St Andrews, Kingsbarns and Carnoustie) are set up very well for me.

"These really suit me while Valderrama doesn't necessarily suit me. So if I want to win the Order of Merit, it's got to be this week to perform."

First round tee-times for the Dunhill Links Championship played over St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns, Scotland

(Gbr & Irl unless stated):
(x) denotes amateurs

St Andrews

Starting at the first
0900 Joost Luiten (Ned), Alvaro Velasco (Spa)
0911 Scott Hend (Aus), Marcus Fraser (Aus)
0922 Pablo Larrazabal (Spa), Shiv Kapur (Ind)
0933 Jean-Francois Remesy (Fra), Gregory Havret (Fra)
0944 Phillip Archer, David Lynn
0955 Gary Simpson (Aus), Scott Strange (Aus)
1006 Peter Fowler (Aus), James Nitties (Aus)
1017 Phillip Price, Marc Warren
1028 Niclas Fasth (Swe), Carl Suneson (Spa)
1039 Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind), Scott Drummond
1050 Rory McIlroy, Chris Wood
1101 Andrew Coltart, Johan Edfors (Swe)
1112 Stephen Gallacher, Greg Owen
1123 Sam Little, Emanuele Canonica (Ita)

Starting at the 10th
0900 Alastair Forsyth, David Drysdale
0911 Jamie Donaldson, Benn Barham
0922 Simon Dyson, Peter O'Malley (Aus)
0933 Patrik Sjoland (Swe), Peter Hedblom (Swe)
0944 Matthew Millar (Aus), Bradley Dredge
0955 Steven Jeffress (Aus), Steve Webster
1006 Greg Chalmers (Aus), Terry Pilkadaris (Aus)
1017 Sam Walker, Leif Westerberg (Swe)
1028 Scott Barr (Aus), Kane Webber (USA)
1039 Raphael Jacquelin (Fra), Gregory Bourdy (Fra)
1050 Marcel Siem (Ger), Lee Slattery
1101 Titch Moore (Rsa), Ariel Canete (Arg)
1112 Soren Kjeldsen (Den), Fredrik Andersson Hed (Swe)
1123 Pelle Edberg (Swe), Pablo Martin (Spa)

Carnoustie

Starting at the first
0900 Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra), Christian Cevaer (Fra)
0911 Robert Dinwiddie, Unho Park (Aus)
0922 Peter Lawrie, Stuart Manley
0933 James Kingston (Rsa), Anton Haig (Rsa)
0944 Michael Jonzon (Swe), Robert Jan Derksen (Ned)
0955 Henrik Nystrom (Swe), Alexander Noren (Swe)
1006 Lloyd Saltman, Paul Waring
1017 Simon Wakefield, David Dixon
1028 Mikael Lundberg (Swe), Martin Erlandsson (Swe)
1039 Ewan Porter (Aus), Steven Bowditch (Aus)
1050 Ignacio Garrido (Spa), Tony Johnstone (Zim)
1101 Barry Lane, Peter Hanson (Swe)
1112 Paul Lawrie, Garry Houston
1123 Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra), Jyoti Randhawa (Ind)

Starting at the 10th
0900 Adam Bland (Aus), Michael Lorenzo-Vera (Fra)
0911 Edoardo Molinari (Ita), Julien Clement (Swi)
0922 Tom Whitehouse, Mark Foster
0933 Thomas Levet (Fra), Jean Van de Velde (Fra)
0944 Oliver Fisher, Peter Whiteford
0955 David Frost (Rsa), Sam Torrance
1006 Richard Green (Aus), Ryan Blaum (USA)
1017 Won Joon Lee (Aus), Ross McGowan
1028 Robert Rock, Alvaro Quiros (Spa)
1039 Simon Khan, Iain Steel (Mal)
1050 John Bickerton, Iain Pyman
1101 Jamie Moul, Damien McGrane
1112 Alejandro Canizares (Spa), Francois Delamontagne (Fra)
1123 Mikko Ilonen (Fin), Paul Broadhurst

Kingsbarns

Starting at the first
0900 Magnus A Carlsson (Swe), Jarmo Sandelin (Swe)
0911 Andrew McLardy (Rsa), Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa)
0922 Keith Horne (Rsa), Rafael Echenique (Arg)
0933 Felipe Aguilar (Chi), Ricardo Gonzalez (Arg)
0944 Chinarat Phadungsil (Tha), Adilson Da Silva (Bra)
0955 Warren Abery (Rsa), James Kamte (Rsa)
1006 Jose-Filipe Lima (Por), Carlos Rodiles (Spa)
1017 David Griffiths, Thongchai Jaidee (Tha)
1028 Mark Murless (Rsa), Alex Haindl (Rsa)
1039 Gary Orr, Miles Tunnicliff
1050 Charl Schwartzel (Rsa), Charley Hoffman (USA)
1101 Marc Cayeux (Zim), Thomas Aiken (Rsa)
1112 Anthony Wall, Chris Rodgers
1123 Markus Brier (Aut), Gary Murphy

Starting at the 10th
0900 Ross Fisher, Richard Sterne (Rsa)
0911 Gonzalo Fdez-Castano (Spa), Jose Manuel Lara (Spa)
0922 Graeme Storm, Francesco Molinari (Ita)
0933 Martin Kaymer (Ger), Soren Hansen (Den)
0944 Oliver Wilson, Justin Rose
0955 Colin Montgomerie, Michael Campbell (Nzl)
1006 Paul Casey, Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa)
1017 Pádraig Harrington, Robert Karlsson (Swe)
1028 Nick Dougherty, Graeme McDowell
1039 Henrik Stenson (Swe), Retief Goosen (Rsa)
1050 Lee Westwood, Paul McGinley
1101 Ernie Els (Rsa), Darren Clarke
1112 David Howell, Richard Finch
1123 Thomas Bjorn (Den), Maarten Lafeber (Ned)