And only Els could make playoff victories the past two years appear effortless. A year ago, he beat Harrison Frazar with a 22-foot putt. Boom, end of story. The year before, Els shocked Aaron Baddeley with a birdie from 43 feet.

From the moment the 6-foot-3 Els takes the club back on the first tee, to the moment that slow, silky putting stroke deposits the ball in the 18th hole, he makes golf — possibly the most aggravating athletic challenge on the planet — look precisely like what it is: a game to be enjoyed, not endured.

His swing is strikingly deliberate and natural, with no quirks or wasted motion. It is a mirror of his amiable demeanor.

"Even if want to, I don't think I can swing quicker," Els says. "It's the way I was put together. The man upstairs said this is the way you are going to play and off you go."

He has gone off to No. 3 in the world golf ranking, behind Vijay Singh, who has never won in his long history at Waialae, and Tiger Woods, who has never played here. Els is "the man" at the Sony Open, the way practice partner Michelle Wie is "the woman," or at least the woman-child.

Waialae galleries embrace the 15-year-old Wie for her wondrous talent and the simple fact she is one of our own. They embrace Els for his graceful game and easy-going personality, which seems so at home here.

The feeling is mutual. Els will be forever grateful the tour moved the Mercedes Championships to Maui in 1999. He might never have sought out Sony otherwise, from his South African home 12,000 miles away. "Across the world," Els laments. "I probably would have never come."

But having two tournaments here made it feasible. Els, second on the U.S. money list last year and first in Europe, has won more than 50 times worldwide, including three majors. His invitation to the winners-only Mercedes is practically permanent. Now, the thought of leaving before Sony is, well, unthinkable.

Els recalled watching Sony on TV and thinking it "had a nice look." He characterized it a "little hidden gem" of a tournament last year as he walked away with the check that put him over $3.6 million in Hawai'i winnings. He and Wie have teamed up, literally and figuratively, to help put the Sony Open on the map.

"The tournament itself is just so different," Els says. "It almost feels like you're playing in a different country. You've got the ocean right there, plus the beach, plus the hotel. The kids can have a great time. Then you walk to the course.

"And the people are so ... they love the game of golf and they support anybody. They don't just pull for Americans or for their own. They are really happy to see good golf. It's just a special event."

Els overwhelmed Kapalua's Plantation Course when he won the Mercedes two years ago, setting a PGA Tour scoring record of 31 under par. But that sweeping course, with its huge fairways and greens and "ferocious" wind is an ideal fit for his big game. Waialae, more compact and cunning in its 40th year as a tour stop, wouldn't seem as good a fit, but for "Big Easy" bigger isn't always better.

"Each hole really keeps you on your toes at Waialae," Els says. "You've got to work the ball. It's the kind of course I can relate to, like what I grew up with in South Africa. It's tree-lined, it's subtle golf with the greens and doglegs and bunkering. And even playing in the city itself ... it's like Johannesburg."

He enjoys the challenge of having to hit the ball straight, "shape" it from each side and concentrate over every swing. He thrives in a place that values patience over punishing the course, and his eyes light up as he describes a "unique" layout where you "wait for that one shot to happen that changes your round."

It doesn't hurt that when that round is over, Els can amble over to the hotel, pick up wife Liezl and kids Samantha, 5, and Ben, 2, and amble to the beach or zoo or North Shore. "The kids love it, I love it," Els says. "It's a good two weeks."

Before the kids came, Els and Liezl could be found fighting the frustration of a bad round with a cold beverage in hand watching the big waves crash. His way of fighting frustration has never been to beat balls or hit the fitness room, though he admits he is in better shape now at 35 than he was at 25.

Similarly, Els' offseason consists of "pure holiday" at his beach house, with friends, family and a BBQ instead of a putting green. It works for him, as his performances in Hawai'i have proved.

The man flew 370 hours to tournaments all over the world last year. Obviously, his season had its ups and downs. But here, at the opening events in an environment he adores, the big guy is always good.

Last year, he became the first to defend at Waialae since Corey Pavin in 1986 and '87. That's Big. On the Easy side, Els complemented his popular 2003 victory by introducing his Engelbrecht-Els wine to America that week. It received the highest rating ever given to a South African wine.

Els went on to win twice more on the American tour last year, put himself in position to win all four majors — an accomplishment that was also his major disappointment when he came up short — and captured the European tour's Order of Merit a second straight year. He was second on the PGA Tour in scoring average (68.98) and, in a glaring example of the Big and Easy in his game, finished 19th in driving distance and ninth in putting.

When GolfWorld told him last Wednesday it had picked him to be the 2005 Player of the Year, Els grinned and replied, "I don't want to read it." But he knows if he is ever to rise to No. 1, and catch Singh and Woods, it has to be soon.

Like the magazine, Els believes he is ready. Now to make it look easy.

Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8043.