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
america asia game helped playing won
I've won tournaments in Europe, Asia and America and I think playing around the world has really helped me game playing in different conditions, not just one-dimensional golf.
eight itself playing record speaks three
I've been playing consistently well for three years now, but Tiger's record speaks for itself - eight majors.
bringing game golf playing practiced ready thanks total
Thanks for bringing that up, I never thought of it. When you play golf tournaments you never think about it. When you are playing you try and be ready with your total game and when that is well groomed and practiced you are ready for the tournament. That has always been my philosophy.
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.
dread hard hit par playing shot
I think most amateurs dread playing a 180-plus-yard par 3 even more than a hard par 4. Part of it is psychological: You think you should be getting a breather, distance-wise, and instead, you get hit with a long iron or hybrid shot over trouble.
america blame easy playing schedule seems
It is easy to blame it on the schedule and it seems like, especially in America, the journalists have been playing a lot on that,
believe best closed davis elevated gap golf guys humble phil playing tee tiger win
Tiger is not playing as well as he did then. Guys like Vijay, Phil (Mickelson), Davis (Love) and me have elevated a little bit, and the gap has closed a bit. I think guys get to the first tee and really believe they can win with Tiger in the field. Golf will humble the best of them and that's where we are.
almost came playing
No. 11 is almost playing like a par-5. In years past, when you came in with 7-irons, you were more aggressive. With a 4-iron, you're not that aggressive.
course played playing
I've had some top-10s, so I've played well here, but it's a course that I feel I can keep playing well,
bit careful defensive fine playing saying
It's a fine line. When I did get a little defensive on 10, it really bit me in the behind. ... You can't get defensive. If you play away from the flag, that's not saying it's defensive. That's being careful and playing the percentages.
adjust early fooled half last playing putt rolls second slope uphill
Contours on the second half of a long putt have more impact on how the ball rolls because it's going slower. Adjust your speed if that last part is playing uphill or downhill. Don't get fooled by an early slope or break.
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.
course gets golf great keeps playing present quality runs year
He just makes this place better every year. The golf course keeps improving, the quality of the way they present the golf course gets better all the time, and I think this year is no different. It's just great playing on a golf course like this. He runs a great show.
best break five golf last playing six time weeks
Before the injury, I had been playing professional golf for the best part of 16 years without any really long breaks. The last time I had a long break was in 2001 when I was out for five or six weeks with a back injury.