Els hungry for sixth SA Open title

 　　JOHANNESBURG, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Although it's still one month away, Ernie Els says he is already turning his thoughts towards a possible sixth South African Open Championship when he returns to defend his title at the Serengeti Golf and Wildlife Estate from 24-27 November.

　　"It's really nice to come back to a tournament where I have such great memories," said Els. "The South African Open has always been one of my favourite weeks of the year and it's a tournament that means a lot to me." Apart from his triumph in the 100th playing of the South African Open at Durban Country Club last year, Els has also won the country's flagship golf tournament on four other occasions: 1992, 1996, 1998 and 2006. Last year he beat countryman Retief Goosen in a dramatic finish that also featured fellow Major winners Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen.

　　"Retief, Charl and Louis really piled on the pressure in the final round but it all came down to making the putts when they counted, which is what I managed to do over the closing stretch last year," recalls Els.

　　The three-time Major champion is without a win this year despite producing several good weeks, but remains¹ optimistic about his prospects².

　　"Ultimately you always judge things by results and I'm a little disappointed about my year so far," said Els. "My game is actually in pretty good shape and my play at the Fry's.com on the PGA Tour recently was encouraging. The key is to always stay patient."

1 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

2 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。