Els confirms he'll play Scottish

Ernie Els will test his links game ahead of the defense of his British Open title by playing in next week's Scottish Open, the traditional warm-up event for golf's oldest major.

The 43-year-old South African suggested after his victory at the BMW International Open last month that he wouldn't be part of the field at Castle Stuart in the Scottish Highlands.

However, Els says Tuesday ''I have very fond memories of my two wins in the Scottish Open, and if I can win it a third time next week, it would be the perfect platform for my defense of The Open.''

The British Open will also be staged in Scotland - at Muirfield from July 18-21.