Ernie Els falters on the final two holes to face a devastating defeat in the Transitions Championship – Golf News
The South African Hall of Famer, Ernie Els, handed over the Transitions Championship’s 70-hole lead through a couple of bogeys to end his final round at the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in Palm Harbor, Florida.
Els had a one-stroke lead while he tried for a birdie putt on the par-four 16th hole. However, he failed to turn the ball in and went to tee off on the 17th hole.
There, he faltered and made two consecutive bogeys to finish his round. It was a shocking performance, considering the fact that he could have won the tournament with even par shots.
Throughout the final round, he looked solid and carded a total of six birdies while reaching the 12th hole.
However, his four-under par 67 was not enough to enable him to join the playoffs, as Robert Garrigus was already standing at the 13-under par tournament score against Els’ 12-under.
The most devastating moment of the day for Els was when he missed an easy four-footer par putt on the final hole. "I was just trying to jam it in there, and I pulled it," Els said.
Els, therefore, did not leave the field of the Transitions Championship in a good mood, as he missed the chance of playing the Masters Tournament next month.
He currently ranks outside the top-50 in the Official World Golf Rankings and has not won any of the events on the PGA Tour.
Therefore, he is ineligible to play the first major event of the season. A win in the tournament could have confirmed his spot in the final field of the Masters.
Meanwhile, the European and PGA Tour money list winner of the 2011 golf season, Luke Donald, defeated his rivals in the playoff with a birdie on the first extra hole.
With this win, he reclaimed his top spot in the Official World Golf Rankings that he lost two weeks ago when Rory McIlroy replaced him with a win in the Honda Classic.
Donald is now eying the Masters Tournament as he has not been able to register a major title win in his career yet.
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