Ernie Els
Ernie Els
Theodore Ernest "Ernie" Elsis a South African professional golfer. A former World No. 1, he is known as "The Big Easy" due to his imposing physical stature) along with his fluid golf swing. Among his 71 career victories are four major championships: the U.S. Open in 1994 at Oakmont and in 1997 at Congressional, and The Open Championship in 2002 at Muirfield and in 2012 at Royal Lytham & St Annes. He is one of six golfers to twice win...
NationalitySouth African
ProfessionAthlete
break couple days field four guys last might narrow within
Over four days of competition, it's going to narrow the field dramatically. You might see more tournaments like we had last year, where a couple of guys break away and it's kind of two tournaments within a tournament.
anxious played
I was a little anxious out there, but I played OK.
game hold
I think we just hold back and see where it goes, see how we play the game on this new Augusta National.
good guess knew missed shut three watch
I wouldn't say I missed it, I did not miss it for a good three months. I guess subconsciously I knew I was out. I was going to be out for a long time. I think I just wanted to shut myself off. Not watch it or read about it or anything like that and concentrate on other things in my life.
almost golfing gone level seems tired
He's almost like a golfing machine. He never seems to get tired of the game. And he's gone up a level this year.
bad element experience extra few guys nerves nervous playing similar spoken
I actually feel pretty nervous about playing again, ... I've spoken to a few guys who had a similar experience to me, with not being able to play because of injury. They all said the same thing. When you come back, there's that extra element of the unknown, which we're not used to. But nerves aren't a bad thing.
bit determined good played today
Today I was a bit more determined not to let it get to me too much, and I played a good back nine.
avoid puts spin tee tricky trying
Spin is a tricky thing. When you're trying to avoid it - say, on a tee shot, where sidespin puts you in the trees - it's easy to make it happen.
coming field saw scoring stage tiger
Freddie was coming on then, and I saw Tiger was coming on then, and the whole field was kind of scoring at that stage and I was kind of stalling, ... It was getting to me a little bit.
average ball body change club dig feet good lower middle sand selection sitting slightly stable swing
From a good lie in the middle of a fairway bunker, I'll make the same swing as I do from an average fairway lie. I'll dig my feet in slightly and keep my lower body stable so I won't slip, but I don't change my club selection or setup. It's only when the ball is sitting down in the sand that I'll make some modifications.
angle catch club cut height helps inch left open slightly swing
From the rough, I'd use a 6-iron, play the ball back an inch or two and swing down on a steeper angle to catch the ball first. It also helps to aim slightly left and open the clubface at address. You'll get more height on the shot, and the club will cut through the grass more easily.
beat couple event four rounds shooting tiger won
I won this event in 1999, shooting 14 under for four rounds to beat Tiger and a couple of other guys.
club couple maybe next thinking trying utility weeks work
I was thinking about that, trying to maybe work on a utility club the next couple of weeks to use it at Augusta.
almost felt holes masters nervous playing settle start three
I was very nervous at the start of the round, I almost felt like I was teeing-off at the Masters or something. But after three holes I managed to settle down and started playing better.