Ernie Els will not be defending his World Match Play title in Spain next month, since it is being held the same day as the Singapore Open.

Wednesday saw the world number 20 specifying, "I would love to have played in both tournaments because I'd have been defending champion for the Match Play but it is not possible to be in two places at once."

He also added that he had entered into the fourth year of a four-year contract to play in the $5 million Singapore Open, co-sanctioned by the European and Asian tours.

It has appeared that from October 29-November 1, the Match Play, which has taken place at Wentworth in England since its inception in 1964, is moving to the Finca Cortesin club near Marbella.

It was two years ago that the tournament was played, when Els gathered a record seventh title dating back to 1994, the same year he won the first of his two U. S. Opens.

Over the first two days, the overhauled Match Pay will be split into four groups of four over 18 holes, with the section winners progressing to the 36-hole semi-finals on the Saturday. The revamped Match Play carries a prize fund of 3.25 million euros ($4.63 million).