VOA常速英语2008年-Els Looks for First Season Win in India

By VOA Sports
Washington, DC
06 February 2008

World No. 4 golfer Ernie Els of South Africa will be looking for redemption when he tees off Thursday in the inaugural¹ Indian Masters in New Delhi.

The three-time major winner is the biggest name in the field and will be trying to shake off the disappointment of squandering² a four-shot final-round lead and losing to Tiger Woods at last week's Dubai Desert Classic³.

After bogeying the 18th hole, Els ended up two shots behind Woods in a tie for third place.

The South African, known as the "Big Easy," will face strong challenges from both Asian and European Tour players. David Howell of England, Denmark's Thomas Bjorn and Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland are in the mix. India's Jyoti Randhawa, Jeev Milkha Singh and Arjun Atwal of India and Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee and Prayad Marksaeng are also entered.

This week's event is the European PGA Tour's first visit to India, and organizers are expecting around 20,000 fans to attend each round.  The tournament is being played on the Delhi Golf Club, a par-72 layout⁴ that measures 6,414 meters.  The winner receives more than $410,000. 

Some information for this report was provided⁵ by AFP, AP.

1 inaugural   

adj.就职的；n.就职典礼

参考例句：

• We listened to the President's inaugural speech on the radio yesterday.昨天我们通过无线电听了总统的就职演说。
• Professor Pearson gave the inaugural lecture in the new lecture theatre.皮尔逊教授在新的阶梯讲堂发表了启用演说。

2 squandering   

v.（指钱，财产等）浪费，乱花( squander的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• You're faced with ending it all, of squandering what was given. 把到手的东西就这样随随便便弄掉。 来自辞典例句
• I see all this potential And I see squandering. 你们的潜力都被浪费了。 来自互联网

3 classic   

n.经典作品；adj.经典的，一流的；古典的

参考例句：

• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。
• The football match was a classic.那场足球比赛堪称典范。

4 layout   

n.布局，安排，设计

参考例句：

• The robbers studied the layout of the bank.这伙强盗研究了银行的布局。
• This map shows the layout of the plant.这张图展示了工厂的布局。

5 provided   

conj.假如，若是；adj.预备好的，由...供给的

参考例句：

• Provided it's fine we will have a pleasant holiday.如果天气良好，我们的假日将过得非常愉快。
• I will come provided that it's not raining tomorrow.如果明天不下雨，我就来。