KAPALUA, Maui » There is something about Hawaii that brings out the best in Ernie Els. So much so, the South African endured a 27-hour flight just to get here.

With many of the world's best golfers skipping the season-opening event on the PGA Tour, the 39-year-old Els was a welcome sight for organizers in the winners-only tournament.

But as pleased as they were to see him for the first time since 2005, nobody is happier to be on Maui and part of this elite 33-man field than Els. Since his first appearance on the demanding par-73 Plantation Course a decade ago, Els has carded a record-setting win in 2003, a playoff loss to Tiger Woods in 2000 and two ties for third in '02 and '05.

  “;It feels a little different than normal tour stops,”; Els said of the two-week stay in the island chain. “;The vibe is a little different. It's a bit more relaxing, so I like that. It's a wonderful spot, a great start to the year for me. To start here is almost like playing The Tour Championship. You feel like you've done something good. So I feel good about that and next week also (at the Sony Open in Hawaii).”;

In 2003, Els not only won the Mercedes in a PGA Tour record 31 under par—he also captured the Sony the week after. Two years later, he finished third on Maui and second to Vijay Singh at the Sony, even though his mind-set was far different then than it is now.

“;Going into 2005, I was not in a great frame of mind,”; Els said. “;I went to San Diego (after the two events in Hawaii) and had a top-five finish there. That's basically it. I was on a downhill spiral and mentally not quite ready. I didn't have a good British Open and went on holiday just to clear my head.”;

Instead, he blew out his knee while on a cruise and hasn't been the same since. He ended an 0-for-47 drought on the PGA by winning the Honda Classic in early March of last year, but besides a couple of international victories in 2007, Els was strangely quiet the past three seasons.

Part of the reason was outside-the-rope distractions, including learning his youngest child, Ben, has autism. He disclosed this difficult facet of his life a week after winning at Honda, giving people an idea why golf took a back seat in recent years.

“;We've had to deal with a lot of things that have been more important, basically, than anything else,”; Els said. “;I've not gone totally off the planet, so I have to feel really good about that, too. You guys report on golf all the time. You don't report on the whole picture. So being, I wouldn't say distracted, but taking care of more important things has taken my focus away a little bit.”;

Can he get back to where he was, say in 2004 when he had a chance to win every major? Does turning 40 later this year give Els a sense of urgency? Can he take solace in the way Vijay Singh and Kenny Perry have played into their 40s?

There was a time when Els hit the ball with the best of them, but he hasn't won a major in nearly seven years and his best finish since he injured his knee in 2005 at the majors were two thirds—one in 2006 at the British and another in 2007 at the PGA Championship.

The three-time major winner believes he still has the game to compete with the young guns on tour. Putting it all together for one given week remains the challenge.

“;I went through waves of not having any confidence in certain aspects of my game,”; Els said. “;It's been a weird couple of years. But I feel better. I feel the whole package is better. I just think my mental attitude wasn't great for a long period of time.”;