Els excited to engage Chinese audience

International Team captain Ernie Els is pumped at the prospect of Chinese fans fully backing his squad's quest for a long-awaited Presidents Cup triumph over the United States at Australia's Royal Melbourne Golf Club in December.

In a media teleconference on Wednesday, the South African legend spoke of his great anticipation in the wake of Li Haotong, ranked 50th in the world, becoming the first golfer from the Chinese mainland to qualify for the International Team in the biennial competition.

Mexico and Chinese Taipei will also be represented for the first time in the Dec 9-15 Presidents Cup through Abraham Ancer and C.T. Pan respectively, which Els believes is a sign of the game expanding its global footprint.