Invitation to Oz land

DIVOTS

India's Ashok Kumar is playing the Aus $1 million Australian PGA Championships on a special invitation from the Australian PGA Tour.

The invitation is in recognition of the youngster's sterling performance on the Indian Tour, where he has won his last five events on the trot and a top-10 finish at the Asian Tour event in Vietnam.

Also in the field is Daniel Chopra. The Indo-Swede player finished fifth in the high profile Shinhan Korea Open last week. Ashok has been drawn to play with Aaron Townsend and Andrew Webster, and is one group behind the legendary Greg Norman, who has been paired with Adam Scott. Chopra's group has the Kiwi stalwart Michael Campbell.

For the Mandela Foundation

The fifth annual Nelson Mandela Invitational golf tournament played on a better-ball format was won by Ernie Els and his little known South African partner, Vincent Tshabalala.

The pair completed the 36-hole tournament, hosted by Gary Player, at 14 under par to claim a one-stroke victory over England's Lee Westwood and South Africa's Simon Hobday.

The star of the event was Tshabalala who outplayed Els coming down the stretch with birdies at the par-four 16th and par-five 18th to ensure victory.

Els admitted that Tshabalala had carried the team with his steady game. The event reached its target of raising Rand 6 million for the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund and the Gary Player Foundation.

Couples skins Tiger

Fred Couples won a record fifth Skins Game title, pocketing $640,000 after triumphing over Tiger Woods at the fourth playoff hole. The

45-year-old Couples opened the second day against Woods, Adam Scott and Annika Sorenstam by grabbing $300,000 for winning the 10th hole and the seven skins that had jackpotted from Saturday at Trilogy Golf Club.

But Woods hit back by rolling in a six-footer for birdie at the 15th hole to claim five skins and $310,000, ensuring that the title would be decided in a playoff with Scott and Sorenstam quickly eliminated.

Scott claimed $50,000 by winning two skins on the opening day and Sorenstam finished without any prize money. Couples has now won 77 skins worth a total of $3,515,000 in 11 appearances at the Skins Game.

Dodd ends drought

Welshman Stephen Dodd ended a 15-year long wait for his maiden title when he won the first event on the European season for 2004-2005 when he grabbed the Volvo China Open. Dodd, 38, turned pro in 1989. Last week, he won by three strokes over better-known Thomas Bjorn, who is on a comeback trail. This was Dodd's 166th tour event.

Bogeyman