Els deaves the disappointment of US Open and aims for British Open
For over a decade the South African born Ernie Els has been one of the top golfers in the world, and has had a top performing record at the British Open to prove it. In 1992 he had 10 top 10 finishes, a 2002 win at Muirfield, along with second-place finishes in 1996, 2000 and 2004, and top five finishes in the past six out of eight Open Championships.
With three major titles to his name, as Els has also had two previous victories at the US Open, in 1994 and 1997, the part-time English resident has finished runner-up six times in major championships, and can also claim 26 top 10 finishes at the majors, 17 within the top five.
Therefore with all of those wins and near wins, it seems fairly obvious that the Big Easy has a pretty good chance of taking home the Open trophy come Sunday. However that’s only if he manages not to blow it at the end, since at the most recent US Open, Els managed to let the title slip away from his grasp when he dropped four shots in the final round and finished just two strokes behind title winner Graeme McDowell.
Couldn't forgive himself
“I have so much experience that I know what not to do, and to hit that shot I did on 10 near the ocean there and making double there, I just couldn’t forgive myself,” said Els.
“I just felt very disappointed there because I had the perfect start and I just had to keep it alive and I probably would have been, at worst, in a playoff. But I just self-destructed a little bit.”
However maybe his luck is changing as currently Els is having his best season in years, maybe even the one of the best out of his entire career, because even though hasn't won a major since his 2002 British Open victory, he is still one of the favourites to win due to his consistency in playing throughout the tournaments that he has been in over the past few years.
Recently Els expressed that a British Open victory would be at the top of his list for his next career goal. In his past three British Open appearances, Els has come in under par, but never managed to be placed higher up than runner-up in 2000. And since so far in 2010 Els has earned a championship at the WGC-CA Championship and the Arnold Palmer Invitational, a British Open win would be a good way for him to round out his previous other three title wins.
"I feel like I've got a good chance this week," said the Johannesburg born player. "I've got a lot of experience and I think it'll help me. “I guess I've just been looking forward to this week since the US Open and now that I'm here, I'm preparing well. Physically I feel really good, I'm hitting my driver good, so I feel my game is really there.”
As Els enters the first day of the open on the top-50 list of candidates in the championship, with titles are hard to come by at any age, they are even more rare for the over 40 set, and this 40-year-old golfer will need to prove that he has the drive to claim his title. Els can't let his previous open performance hold him back. With his determination, the Big Easy may just show Scotland just how easy it is to win.
“I think I still have a decent chance of playing well here this week and maybe having a chance,” Els said. “If I can get into position like I was at the U.S. Open Championship, I’d like to finish it off.”
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