Winnings Ways

Last updated: 29th March 2010

Golf365 reveals the secrets of success for Bay Hill champion Ernie Els.

- ARNOLD PALMER INVITATIONAL WINNER

In the bag

Driver - Callaway FT-9 Tour Authentic
3-wood - Callaway Tour X
Irons - Callaway Tour Authentic Proto X
Wedges - Callaway X forged
Putter - Odyssey White Ice
Ball - Callaway Tour i(S)

Turning point

When Els double-bogeyed the 13th hole and then bogeyed the 14th on Sunday afternoon his apparently impregnable lead of five had become a nerve-shredding two.

Whereupon the hooter sounded, pulling the players off the course. That was followed by heavy rain which made any further play impossible.

Els admitted after Monday's conclusion that because of the three dropped shots, "I wasn't the Big Easy last night."

Nevertheless, perhaps he did have the opportunity to right the ship a little - it could have been worse if he had had to complete the round whilst dropping shots left, right and centre.

As it was he may have fretted somewhat but he did have the chance to re-group and when he needed to make longish par putts (as he did over those last few holes), he was able to drain them.

Stats

It was a solid week all round for the South African.

Ball-striking: he ranked 17th for Driving Distance, seventh for Driving Accuracy and ninth for Greens in Regulation.

Putting: he ranked ninth for Putts per Round and fourth for Putting Average.

That suggests his game is in great shape as he prepares for another bid at winning the Green Jacket next week.

Insight

For much of the last two years Els has been like a bear with a sore head as he tried to find a solution to his putting woes.

At the Open Championship at Turnberry there was an Ernie Els shaped hole in the practice green so long did he spend there.

One observer wondered if all he was doing was repeating his faults.

But something has clicked and at the Honda Classic the stroke was improved.

And this week he looked even better. He holed 64 of 73 putts below ten feet all week, a testament to his improved short putting.

In his words

Els admitted that he cannot prevent himself thinking about Augusta.

"It's always in my head this time of the year," he said. "You try and downplay it, but you do think about it. I mean, today I thought about it on the 72nd hole. I was like, okay, you're standing at Augusta and you've got to hit this hard fade. You think of shots that you're going to be playing over there.

"And I always think about it. Especially, as I say this time of year, you always think about it. Practice shots, you try and get a draw going with your driver, and high shots with your irons and you try and have your short game very sharp.

"That's what I've been doing, and, you know, obviously I haven't won for such a long time, and now to be able to feel like I can tee it up and play with these boys, it feels good.

"I've had a lot of Top-10s there and stuff like that. You know, I don't want to say that. I think I'll jinx myself saying that.

"But I would say this: I know the history of Augusta pretty well, and there's been a lot of nice stories. There's been a lot of cool ones, thinking of Weiskopf and Norman and myself, but there's also been some really great ones, so we still are hoping for the great one."