Although Lee Westwood only topped the European Tour's money list for last season three weeks ago, it is already time for the 2010 campaign to get underway.

Ernie Els is the headline act taking part in the Alfred Dunhill Championship, a tournament he has won three times before, in 1995, 1999 and 2006.

The event is taking part in South Africa, the homeland of the Callaway FT-9 golf driver user, and is a co-sanctioned tournament with the Sunshine Tour.

Although Els will be looking to fare better than 11th in the European Tour's money list this upcoming season, he has admitted that winning at Leopard Creek Golf Club in Mpumalanga is not his sole goal for the event.

He is also hoping to acclimatise to a change to his golf irons and golf wedges, ahead of the new rules relating to the grooves of clubs that come into force in January.

The 40-year-old South African told the European Tour website: "This December there is quite a bit of extra interest and motivation as I want to work on my game with the new equipment.

"The new rules will be a big change in the game at the top level. It's going to bring back some of the emphasis on hitting more fairways. It could bring back some of the art of shot-making and that has to be a step in the right direction."

Meanwhile, Els will have to beat a number of talented challengers if he is to seal a first victory since landing the Honda Classic on the PGA Tour in 2008, when he picked up a one-stroke success over Luke Donald, who plays with Mizuno golf equipment.

One of these is Eduardo Molinari, who had no such troubles in 2009, dominating events on the Challenge Tour and then joining his brother Francesco to lead Italy to victory in the Omega Mission Hills World Cup.

Els' fellow countryman Richard Sterne will return to defend the title that he claimed last year when he defeated Robert Rock and Johan Edfors by one stroke.

This began a month to remember for the TaylorMade golf clubs user as he returned to the winner's circle the following week to gain his fifth career European Tour victory in the South African Open Championship.

Meanwhile, if he can repeat his victory of 12 months ago, Sterne will become the first player to ever successfully defend his title.

This year's Alfred Dunhill Championship is the first of four successive events taking place in South Africa to kick off the new European Tour season.

The South African Open Championship will again follow, with the Africa Open and the Joburg Open then taking place in January.

Meanwhile, Charl Schwartzel and John Bickerton also return having won the tournament in the past, while 2008 European Tour event winners Gregory Bourdy, Michael Jonzon and Oskar Henningsson will look to add to these victories.

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