South African Ernie Els is the master of match play golf, having won seven World Match Play Championships - four of them since the turn of the millennium.

The first of the four came in 2002, when he beat Spaniard Sergio Garcia 2&1 in the final. Never behind in any of his matches, he led Garcia by five at one stage and although he was under threat near the end, a couple of wayward drives sealed the gutsy Spaniard's fate.

He then retained the trophy in 2003 by beating Dane Thomas Bjorn 4&3 in the final. The Match Play champion led by three at lunch and looked set to romp clear, but Bjorn sank a 20-foot putt for eagle at the 12th and a hole-in-one with a four iron at 14. Els ended the dramatic fightback, though, by holing a 25-footer for the winning half on the 15th.

Els completed a hat-trick in 2004 by edging out England's Lee Westwood 2&1 in a dreary final. It was all-square at halfway, before Els edged ahead and held on, sinking the winning 20-foot birdie at 17.

Els' most recent success at Match Play was in 2007 when he routed Argentina's Angel Cabrera 6&4. In front at the first, he posted a wire-to-wire success, the relentless pressure telling finally when he won 30, 31 and 32.

In between the South African's victories, New Zealand's Michael Campbell and England's Paul Casey picked up the trophy.

In 2005 Campbell defeated Irishman Paul McGinley 2&1, while the following year Casey hammered American Shaun Micheel by a record-breaking 10&8, the biggest margin in 43 finals.