Fresh off preventing a rare shutout season with an eleventh-hour victory in the South African Open, Ernie Els unveiled an ambitious three-year plan to unseat Tiger Woods as the world's No. 1 player.

South African Ernie Els visited Augusta early to prepare for the Masters Tournament as part of his ambitious plan to overtake Tiger Woods as the No. 1 player in the world within three years. (Rainier Ehrhardt/Staff)

"I see 2007 as the start of a three-year plan where I rededicate myself to the game," Els said on his Web site in late December. "I want to win more majors and start giving Tiger a run for his money."

Apparently, Step 1 in the Tiger chase was getting a whole new set of weapons.

Six weeks before the Masters Tournament, Els ditched his Titleist gear for a bag full of new Callaway clubs and balls. It's a bold move for the 37-year-old at a crucial stage of his season and career.

"That will be some story, wouldn't it?" Els said.

Aware of what such a dramatic change might do with the Masters approaching, Els went on a three-day workout mission to Augusta National Golf Club the weekend before playing at Bay Hill. It was a training session more on par with Phil Mickelson's major prepping than Els' historically more casual approach. He played friendly rounds in the mornings with friends and members and went to work with his new caddie, J.P. Fitzgerald, in the afternoons.

"I had the afternoon to myself to work on numbers and work on shots, and that's what I did," he said. "I had J.P., my caddie, up there with us and actually did some good work, got some good numbers. ... We tested the ball really well out there, because Augusta is so different than any course we play. The greens are so much firmer and faster. Yeah, it was a really good test up there."

The numbers Els needed were the clubs and distances into pivotal holes such as 12, 13, 15 and 16. He says he's dialed in and as ready as ever for the Masters.

"I'm so excited now," he said. "Especially with my new equipment and Callaway and the new golf ball and the driver and stuff. So I feel, you know, I feel like a rookie almost again. I've got new energy and working with new people, and it's exciting. I don't think about my knee anymore. So I've got no excuses anymore. Basically I'm ready to play."

Considering what the Masters means to Els, it's a big deal. With a pair of U.S. Open wins and one British Open, he's on the cusp of building a bigger legacy.

"So some players have got their dream already, players like Tiger and some of the guys who have retired now," he said. "I'm still chasing that, meaning the (career) Grand Slam, and the Masters is one of them. Yeah, that's what I'm looking forward to. I'm really looking forward to trying to fit a green jacket on."

Els understands it's not that easy. He thought a jacket would be tailored for him in 2004 before Mickelson stepped up to snatch it away. He knows Augusta National doesn't always give back what it owes.

"Obviously I've seen what Greg (Norman) did in his career," Els said of the luckless Australian. "He was also probably built for that place, but he never got it. You know, I'm getting on. I'm 37 years old now. You know, I've had one real close call, obviously, three years ago with Phil. I've had some other really good finishes there. But in all of the times I've played there - 13 times - I've probably had four really decent shots at it.

"You know, my game, where it is right now, is really good. It's better than it was last year and the year before. So I feel I've got a really good shot at it this year."

That optimism is a key ingredient of Els' master plan to catch Woods. A knee injury in 2005 had contributed to his slide down in the world's top 10 before his win in South Africa extended a streak of winning at least one tournament somewhere in the world every year since 1991.

Relieved by victory of the strain he called "patch-up golf" after his injury, he set Woods firmly in his sights.

"If you look where he is at the top of the rankings, it's a big lead, so no one is going to get near him any time soon," said Els, who has not won on the PGA Tour since 2004. "I've got to give myself a three-year stretch to try to approach him, and I really believe I can do it."

Reach Scott Michaux at (706) 823-3219 or scott.michaux@augustachronicle.com.