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
coming penalty rough
The rough is pretty thick. It's a half-shot penalty coming out of there.
coming love
I love coming here when I get the chance,
although coming five four good love obviously
It's good to be back. I obviously love this course, although I haven't been coming here for four or five years now. But this place is good karma.
areas certain clubs coming days experience field four hit longer narrow
Experience is going to be big, even more than it used to be, because you're coming in with longer clubs and you've got to hit certain areas more than you used to. Over four days it's going to narrow the field dramatically.
coming cover estate hitting instinct power worried
When you're hitting a fairway wood, you've got a lot of real estate to cover to get to your target. Your first instinct is probably to give it a little more power because you're worried about coming up short.
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.
bomb course hit hole love plays tee
I'm sure you have a hole at your course where you love to hit the tee shot. You can't wait to get up there and bomb away because the fairway is wide, or the hole always plays downwind.
definitely europe guys opposite total
I know what Europe is like and it is the total opposite from here at the moment. Guys will definitely have to take their fluids and look after themselves.
believe enjoyed finish knew people scottish sure together trouble watching
I knew we were all in trouble and I didn't really believe I could keep it together to finish at five-under. I'm sure the Scottish people enjoyed watching us today.
courses good grew love reminds south
I like the course, I love the way it's set out. It reminds me a lot of courses that I grew up on in South Africa. I've got a good feel for the place.
biggest dig ground hitting pinch ripping trying
The biggest mistake is trying to pinch down on the ball and ripping out a big divot, often hitting the ground before the ball. You'll dig up some turf, but you won't create much backspin.
accuracy best form great player premium short win
The best player who is on form is going to win the tournament. Accuracy is at a premium here and you'd better have your short game. Overall, it's a great test.
emotion putt remember seems shots
I was 27, and it seems like just yesterday. I remember a lot of shots I made, and when I made the putt at 18, it's probably the most emotion I've ever shown.
birdie guess nine played ran shoot
It's not always that you're going to shoot a 29 in a major. You just want to keep grinding, keep playing. On the back nine I played pretty solid. I guess I just ran out of birdie holes.