Whole Network Most Recent TOP10 Golf Courses Golf Equipment Golf Instruction Golf News

 

Ernie Els: The Drought is Over

Filed in archive Golf News by Chris Henry on March 03, 2008

pga_national.jpg

Courtesy: PGA National Resort

It was great to see Ernie Els back in the winner's circle yesterday at the Honda Classic.

He hadn't won on the PGA Tour in nearly four years - that's a big monkey off his back.

So is the idea of overtaking Tiger Woods to become world number one.

Els as much admitted he'd given that up when he said "I am 38 right now, and I can quite easily go and enjoy being with my kids and go build golf courses and stuff.

"But I really still want to achieve a lot in the game, and I still want to win a lot.
I just felt that's the kind of goal for me to really strive for and practise for. So I'm not sure where I am right now, but we'll see."

Those are not words filled with intent.

I'll bet you'll see Els play much better now that he can forget about chasing number one.

Frankly, there isn't a golfer on the scene who can say he wants to take a run at Woods without being laughed at. Not Els, not Justin Rose, not Rory Sabattini, certainly not Phil Mickelson.

The Honda Classic was no gimme for Els. The PGA National in Palm Gardens is one tough customer.

When Jack Nicklaus re-worked the 15th, 16th and 17th - the Bear Trap - he achieved a minor miracle in course design. They could be the hardest consecutive three holes outside of Amen Corner at Augusta.

There were some notable golfers who fell by the wayside and we're now deep enough into the season that the argument of early season rust doesn't hold water.

Guys like Angel Cabrera, Mike Weir, Chris DiMarco, David Toms and others failed to make the cut after 36 holes. And David Duval who had a pretty good 2 over, 72 on Thursday but really fell victim to the Bear Trap in round two going bogey-bogey-bogey to post a 78.

Boo Weekley was only two over at the start of Sunday's final round. He shot an 80 in the gusty conditions.

The Honda Classic proved one thing: if a course is tough enough without being penal and it can take advantage of natural elements like prevailing winds, players will be tested and scores will go up.

I'm all for it.

Advertisement


Permalink: Ernie Els: The Drought is Over
Tags: ernie  els  wins  honda  classic  honda  classic  pga  national  the  bear  trap  jack  nicklaus  design  2008  hond 

Trackback: http://www.creative-weblogging.com/cgi-bin/mt-tb.pl/115677



Advertisement


Advertisement


CW ToolbarInstall
RSSrss   | See all blog subscribe options
Googlegoogle   |   What is RSS?
Yahoo!yahoo
AddthisAddThis Feed Button
BloglinesBloglines
Newsletter
Advertisement - Book yours here.

Use our search feature to look for other interesting posts

Just this blog Whole network
Advertisement -
Book yours here..


 
  • Would you like to see your text link here? Let us know!
Advertisement
Book yours here.



  • Other blogs in the same channel in the Creative Weblogging Network

Advertisement -
Book yours here..






Advertisement - Book yours here..
 
Tagcloud: Golf Business Golf Courses Golf Equipment Golf Fitness Golf Humor Golf Instruction Golf Interviews Golf News Golf Travel Golf Wanderings