He captured the crown again just three years later, with Montgomerie pushed into second place once more.

Not since 45-year-old Hale Irwin became the championship’s oldest-ever winner in 1990 has anybody lifted the trophy three times, and so a big day loomed when the ‘Big Easy’ moved into second place with a round to go at Shinnecock Hills 12 months ago.

Els considers what followed was a joke – and he just hopes Pinehurst will be so very different. The world number three shot 80.

And while playing partner Retief Goosen somehow managed a 71 to win for the second time in four years, Els was furious.

“It was out of control. Whoever played it, even Retief, would probably concur with me,” he said. He was not alone in his anger.

Twenty-seven more of the 66 players also failed to break 80 on greens allowed to become so hard that emergency watering was needed when Billy Mayfair hit a two-foot putt which rolled 60 feet past the hole on the treacherous seventh. Mayfair returned an 89.

The blame was laid at the door of the United States Golf Association, of whom Jerry Kelly, after an 81, said: “When are they going to grow a head? If they were smart they’d realise they look really stupid.”

Even after he had cooled down, Els saw no reason to change his mind. “I’m sure they would have learnt from that,” he said.

“I just hope they take Pinehurst for what it is. The greens are designed in a certain way where the ball is just going to run off.

“If they make it firm and fast it’s going to be a joke again. Hopefully they take it for how the course was designed to be played and set it up accordingly.

“I don’t think it takes a very clever guy to figure that out. You don’t have to make Pinehurst rock hard. They didn’t have to do that at Shinnecock.

“I think Olympic (1998) and definitely last year got away from them, but they normally do a very good job. They definitely try and get the best player in the field that particular week.”

At 7,214 yards Pinehurst is 218 yards longer, but it is also a par 70. Payne Stewart’s winning score six years ago was just one under par.

Els missed the halfway cut then and so he also needs to get that memory out of his system on his return.

“It’s just a brutal course around the greens, but I didn’t play with my head,” he admits. I was going at flags and the ball would finish 30 yards off the green. Those greens are just diabolical, but I thought the set-up was really fair and I’ve got to play a little bit more tactically.”

If he does, that third title might be his. And at 35 he has plenty of time to add to that number.