Golf
Big Easy feeling more at ease
2010-03-13 16:08
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Doral - Ernie Els no longer is eligible for the award of logging the most kilometres before getting to Doral.
He crossed an ocean this year, but that was to get to Hawaii for the Sony Open. Since then, the travel for this generation's most global player has been strictly in the United States - San Diego and Los Angeles, Arizona and Florida, where he now lives most of the year.
Gone are those days when it was hard to keep track of the Big Easy. He was in his South African homeland, then his home south of London, in Qatar and Dubai, over to Florida, then off to China.
Rarely has he felt so refreshed.
The trick now is to make sure his game feels as good as his mind, and Els has taken a big step in that direction with rounds of 68 and 66 in the CA Championship to take a one-shot lead over Robert Allenby into the weekend.
"I'm not sure what the reason is why I'm feeling this good," Els said. "I haven't travelled that much this year maybe. I didn't get to the Middle East and all of that stuff. That might have helped me a little bit. Being at home here with the kids, going to school here in Jupiter must be a positive. I felt a bit more grounded.
"I felt a bit more calm this year than maybe previous years," he said. "It's probably been a good change for me just to change my schedule up a little bit. It's a bit more what I want to do, not what everybody else wants me to do."
Els turned 40 last autumn, more than half his life spent travelling the world. He drives his 10-year-old daughter to school when he's home in Palm Beach County, and he feels his son Ben, who has autism, is getting the best care.
For a big South African who is so relaxed, it has allowed him to work harder than ever on his game. Rarely is his mind so much at ease and Els simply doesn't want to waste this time by not having a game that's of equal standing.
After failing to break par in the Honda Classic and finishing toward the bottom of the leaderboard, he worked diligently over the week and all the way until it was time to tee off in this World Golf Championship, on alignment and ball position and posture.
Els was at his best on Friday in wacky weather on the Blue Monster.
He not only played bogey-free in his round of 66 that put him at 10-under 134, he really didn't come all that close to dropping a shot. Els ran off three straight birdies, including a 7-iron from an awkward spot in the rough on the 14th hole to 4 feet, and even when he made par, his shots were clean and with purpose.
"When you are like that mentally, you want to have a bit of game," he said. "If I can get those two flowing, I think I might have some good stuff happening."
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