Ernie Els yesterday defended himself against his American critics, saying his globe-trotting schedule had turned him into a world-class player.
With the American media blaming Els's US Masters meltdown on playing too many tournaments around the world, the world number three said it was 'technical faults' that led to his disappointing 47th-place finish at Augusta.
Last year, US PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem put pressure on Els to play more in America, but an angry Els refused to abandon his commitments in other continents. 'There is a world outside of America and I am part of it,' the South African said at the time.
A nasty virus the week before the Masters didn't help Els either and now he is in China at one of his favourite tournaments - the Johnnie Walker Classic - where he will go about rebuilding his game.
'It's easy to blame it on the schedule,' Els said of his failure to deliver on his 'Fab Four' billing, alongside Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson, at Augusta. 'It seems the media in America are playing on that.
'But I've done what I'm doing for 12 years and my record is not too bad. I have had a fairly good career [50 victories] up until now.