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Out Of The Woods
Shark.com Staff
December 18, 2006
There was a time when Ernie Els was the closest figure in Tiger Woods' rear-view mirror. But that was a long time ago, especially when you consider what transpired Sunday for both men.
On the same day that Woods came from a shot back to win his 11th title of 2006, at the Target World Challenge, Els had a vastly different objective: Avoiding his first winless season since 1991.
It took Els until his last start of the year to finally break through, but he did exactly that with a seven-under 65 to rally from a three-shot deficit and defeat Trevor Immelman by three shots at the South Affrican Open.
 | | "I view the South African Open as a major," said Els of his national championship. |
Instead of suffering through his first winless season in 15 years, Els now has some valuable momentum to carry into 2007. He wasn't about to downplay his victory, even though it came against only a handful of world-class players.
"I didn't want that winning run of at least one victory every year to end, yet it just wasn't happening," Els said. "This was my last chance to set the record straight. Now I've done so and the relief is immense."
Els admitted he hasn't been a fun person to be around this year, both on and off the course. He certainly wasn't living up to his nickname -- the Big Easy -- as he was moody off the course and angry on it, even uncharacteristically throwing his clubs in recent events out of frustration.
It was clear he needed a "W" in the worst way to calm him down and show he was all the way back from the serious knee injury he suffered after last year's British Open. Yet it also seemed apparent that wasn't going to be an easy task because of his constant frustration.
"My wife needs a lot of credit," Els said. "I've been a bear with a sore head this year. I've been working harder than ever and felt like I was going backwards. It's been a tough year for me and my family. So this win is huge for me at this stage of my career. I don't think it's really even sunk in yet."
The benefits were both tangible -- he improved from eighth to fifth in the latest world rankings -- and intangible. There's no doubt Els, 37, will have a calmer offseason because he has proven he can win again.
Even for a player with 62 victories around the world, it's amazing how quickly that magical touch can disappear. It has been more than four years since he won the last of his three majors; it has been more than two years since he won the last of his 15 PGA Tour victories -- his longest victory drought since he started playing in the U.S. in 1994.
And on Sunday he had spotted Immelman, who earlier in the week had been named as Golf Digest's South African Player of the Year, three strokes in his final attempt to win in 2006. But Els made three early birdies to quickly move into the lead and Els didn't make a bogey until the 18th hole.
"That's as good as I can play probably," Els said of his 65. "Under the circumstances, I was chasing the first couple of holes and then I was in the lead and then I had to protect the lead and be aggressive. There were a lot of different emotions going on today and this game and one's mind can play tricks on you and I did feel a bit tight, a bit nervous. But I held it together well. This was one round I'll remember forever."
While many of the game's top players were at Woods' event, Els still beat a field that included Retief Goosen, Immelman and Lee Westwood. There also was the pressure of a South African wanting to play well in his homeland event he's now won four times.
"I view the South African Open as a major, and that's how I played it this week," Els said. "I feel I've still got a lot to offer the game and a lot of goals to achieve. The way I played in this final round will give me a lot of confidence in the majors next year, so hopefully this is the little step I needed."
| The Par Report is posted every Monday on Shark.com. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Greg Norman. |
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