Despite differences in age and achievement, Els and Kaymer both look ahead

Ernie Els sure doesn't see his election into the World Golf Hall of Fame as the end of his career, while Martin Kaymer hopes his time in the major spotlight is just getting started.

By Josh Ball, Special to PGA.com

SOUTHAMPTON, Bermuda -- Ernie Els will concentrate on playing the PGA Tour next year, the South African Hall of Famer said Monday.

Els, who is in Bermuda for the PGA Grand Slam of Golf, which starts Tuesday, told a press conference that he thought the time had come for him to change his schedule. And the triple-major winner said he felt he could still win another major, and was looking forward to proving those people who had written him off wrong.

“I feel really fresh,” said Els. “I feel like I can still achieve things in this game, and I want to achieve things in this game.

“You're going to really see a lot different schedule next year. I'm going to play a lot more in the States,” he added. “I'll still do the odd trip over to Europe and so on, but it's not going to be what I used to be doing.“

A settled family life and the desire to be fresh for the tournaments he does play in were a driving force behind his decision.

“I feel it's time,” said Els. “I've done it (a hectic schedule) for so long, I'll still play internationally but not as intensely as I used to.

“Just feel I got such a wonderful family life now. It's really comfortable,” he explained. “I can practice at home right through the year now. It feels very, very comfortable, so I'm going to have a lot more time to be on my game and be fresh.”

Not that comfort should be mistaken for Els believing the time has come to wind down his impressive career. The 40-year-old is as determined as ever.

“The desire is very much still there,” he said. “I still feel like I can win majors. Until you guys (the media) prove me wrong, I'd like to prove everybody else wrong basically. I still feel like I've got a lot left.”

Martin Kaymer feels the same, although his concerns are different to those of his fellow professional.

The young German has enjoyed a magnificent year and could still finish it as the No. 1-ranked player in the world, but it’s what follows after that concerns him.

“A lot of guys win one big tournament, then you kind of don't like really hear from them anymore,” said Kaymer. “But my goal is to win more big tournaments, more majors.

“I think it (a major) should never be the end of a career, especially not at my age,” he stressed. “I don't know, when you're 40, 45, I don't know what's going to happen then. But that early in my career, I want to win more tournaments, more majors.

“My biggest goal is to win the British Open one day, win at St. Andrews. That would be fantastic. In five years time, I will get that chance,” he said. “I think it's important you keep having goals, keep practicing. Especially, like I said, at my age, you cannot say ‘I've achieved something big now and that's it.’”

Kaymer and Els are in Bermuda alongside U.S. Open winner Graeme McDowell and 2001 PGA Championship winner David Toms to play in the Grand Slam. The 36-hole tournament starts Tuesday, and for those looking for omens, Kaymer’s looking like a strong favorite to win.

Squirt the Octopus has tipped the German to win the event, a year after another octopus tipped Lucas Glover to win. Glover triumphed by five shots in 2009, firing a new course record 65 along the way.