By Rob Hodgetts

Els claims record win

Seve Ballesteros is delighted that it is Ernie Els who has broken his record for World Match Play wins at Wentworth.

The world number two beat Lee Westwood on Sunday for his sixth title, taking him past Spain's Ballesteros and fellow South African Gary Player.

And earlier in the week, Ballesteros told the BBC he would salute Els.

"Sooner or later someone will come along and break the record so if it's Ernie, there's no better player or better guy. I wouldn't be jealous."

The 47-year-old added: "If you look at the record books that would make him the best player.

"I'd feel very happy for him (Els).

"But Els doesn't play much matchplay - he doesn't play in the Ryder Cup - so it's hard to tell whether he would be the best matchplayer of all time."

Els, who lives on the Wentworth estate, became the only player to win a hat-trick of titles when he dominated between 1994-1996 and has won for the past two years.

To do well this week you have to be strong physically and mentally Seve Ballesteros

But Ballesteros admitted Els faced a stiff challenge this week, with a top-quality 16-man field, which included world number one Vijay Singh.

The format also changed to involve all 16 players competing in 36-hole matches from the start, with no byes for top seeds as in previous years.

"Els is a good medal player and one of the best matchplayers in the world and he loves Wentworth," said Ballesteros, who won the World Match Play five times in the 1980s and early 1990s and has played in the event a record 19 straight times.

"Home course advantage is important. He has good self-control and he has all the shots in the bag.

"In this format, though, everyone has a chance. To do well this week you have to be strong physically and mentally because matchplay is tough and 36 holes a day is tough."

This time last year the 34-year-old Els was world number two behind Tiger Woods, and though he has overtaken the American, Fiji's Singh has leapfrogged both of them with eight wins in 2004.