By Mark Garrod, PA Sport Golf Correspondent

Ernie Els has reflected on an Open championship play-off which he was prepared to admit might have been the make-or-break moment of his multi-million pound career.

As he sat with the treasured claret jug on the table in front of him, the first South African winner of the title since Gary Player in 1974 declared: "Now I'm back on track."

But Els was not too overcome by relief and elation to forget the cold, hard truth of the matter - that this could very easily have been another major championship he messed up.

A double bogey five at the 16th hole left the 32-year-old as disgusted with himself as at any time in his life.

"A lot of things went through my mind," he confessed. "Is this a way to lose another major? Is this the way you want to be remembered - by screwing up in an Open championship?

"I'm pretty hard on myself and that wasn't one of my finer moments. I felt I had lost it there, but somehow I pulled myself together and I guess I've got a little bit of fight in me when it counts.

"But yeah, it would have been a very hard loss if I hadn't won this jug.

"If I hadn't done it this time I'm not sure I would ever win it. You can only take so much.

"Some careers could have ended like this. If you look at some of the guys that lost in the Masters and in this tournament, some people just never recover.

"I wouldn't say I would have been one of them, but I would have really been a different person."

Escaping from the situation and holding the trophy aloft, however, has given Els the belief that he can achieve one of his lifetime goals.

"I can now legitimately try to win the four majors," he said.

Even in that aim, though, there is a realisation that the way he captured the Open has not unlocked the door to going for a Grand Slam next season - not with Tiger Woods, the one man who does not seem to buckle under pressure, on the scene.

Els is thinking in terms of winning all four in his career, but in a year - itself something only ever achieved by Woods, Player, Gene Sarazen, Jack Nicklaus and Ben Hogan.

His US Open victories in 1994 and 1997 - both with Colin Montgomerie second - leave Els needing to add the US PGA (next chance next month at Hazeltine in Minnesota) and Masters.

Everybody will be expecting Woods to be back in the thick of things both times.

The worst round of his professional career, an 81 in the wind and rain of Saturday afternoon, clearly did the unchallenged world number one no lasting damage as he got the better of Muirfield with a closing 65.

It was still only good enough for 28th place - one spot off his worst finish in a major as a professional - but Els said: "Tiger's probably going to have another opportunity to do the Grand Slam.

"He's the only player that probably can do it."

That was an admission of failure, if you like, made in the moment of success.

Els had the luxury of not having to worry about the greatest golfer in the game as he tried for his first major in five years, yet still he wobbled and wobbled badly.

Els carries the nickname "Big Easy" and it looked as if he was heading for an easy run-in to the title when he stood two clear with five to play after a spectacular recovery from a pot bunker by the 13th green.

But he bogeyed the next and when he had his clumsy double-bogey two holes later, chipping right off the green, he was one behind Thomas Levet, Stuart Appleby and Steve Elkington.

Appleby had birdied the 15th, 17th and 18th for a 65 that set the six under par target, Levet eagled the 17th for a 66 to match it and when Elkington birdied the same hole and parred the last for a 66 as well the three of them waited to see what happened to the world number three.

Els regrouped quickly enough to birdie the long 17th and parred the last, although another negative came into his head there because he remembered he hadn't been very good in play-offs the last few times.

Play-off it was, though - the first four-man one in Open history - and Els just had time to be told by his Belgian sports psychologist Jos Vanstiphout (he also works with Levet) that the coming holes "were the most important of my career. We basically agreed on that."

There was somebody else Els had to deal with, however. The "little guy" who pops up on his shoulder whispering negative thoughts.

"I had a couple of chances during the week to break away and the little guy just kept on being there and every time I made a mistake. Even on the last play-off hole I got him back."

Levet held the initiative after a putt of nearly 50 feet at the 16th - the second of the four holes of stroke play - but bogeyed the last.

Elkington, having earlier missed a six-foot putt that would have won him the title, did the same to finish one over and was out, then Appleby bogeyed too for one over. But Els' four pars kept him alive, so he and Levet returned to the 18th tee for the first sudden-death shoot-out in the championship.

Levet shot himself in the foot by driving into sand, only for Els to go into a bunker with his second shot. But he splashed out brilliantly to four feet and made it.

Levet, as unfancied a runner at the start of the week as Jean Van de Velde was at Carnoustie three years ago, ended up in the same runners-up boat. France is still waiting for its first winner since Arnaud Massy in 1907.

South African golf fans, though, are celebrating - and breathing a massive sigh of relief at the same time.

"I didn't come here with a lot of confidence," said Els. "I'm leaving as the Open champion. It's been a little journey for me this week."

Little journey, big moment for "Big Easy."