Besides the lions, elephants and the other African wildlife, the big attraction this weekend at the dunhill championship in Mpumalanga, South Africa, will undoubtedly be the appearance of world No 5 player, Ernie Els.

After being sidelined with a knee injury for more than four months, Els made his comeback to competitive golf in the Nedbank Golf Challenge at Sun City which finished last Sunday.

He was not at his best, though, finishing ninth in the 12-man field with a twooverpar return of 290.

Els, however, is excited about playing the dunhill championship.

"Leopard Creek is one of the most incredible golf courses in the world," he said.

"Some parts of the golf course sit alongside the Kruger Park game reserve. The views are wild, to say the least.

"You've got crocodiles in the water between the ninth and 18th greens.

"And the 13th green sits about 50 feet above the bed of the Crocodile River, and at dusk or early in the morning the animals come to feed and drink.

"If your timing is right, you'll see virtually all of the animals that make up Africa's so-called Big Five --elephant, lion, buffalo, giraffe and rhino.

"And a couple of holes later, in the lagoon by the 15th and 16th holes, you'll find a hippo called Harry. Like I say, it's not your typical golf course!"

As far as the European contingent is concerned, Englishmen David Lynn and John Bickerton, France's Jean Remesy, Marcel Siem, of Germany, and Swede Joakim Haeggman head up the list.

"I'm really looking forward to this event - Leopard Creek is an excellent course and it's always in great nick," said Jean Remesy, two-time Challenge Tour winner and regular at the dunhill challenge.

"The greens are also fantastic but I just wish it would rain every afternoon to keep the temperature down!"

As one of two tournaments co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour and The European Tour - the second being the South African Airways Open at Fancourt Golf Club the following week - the event will usher in two of the richest weeks on the local golf circuit, with both events boasting purses of 1million Euros (£676,000).

Scot Colin Montgomerie, who won last week's Hong Kong Open, will not be playing this week. Other European players include Englishmen Jonathan Lomas, Mark Foster, and David Carter, with Scotland's Andrew Coltart, Gregory Havret, of

France, and Garry Houston, of Wales, also in the mix.

South African Charl Schwartzel will defend his 2005 dunhill championship title.