![]() ![]() Obviously they want to see us as professionals, the best in the world, playing the conditions they play in. “Golf courses were designed for the weather in the British Isles and people find enjoyment out of playing in those conditions. “I mean, I know from a South African point of view, if I had to grow up in weather like that I might not have been a golfer. “They love their golf, and when it gets tougher they love it even more because they understand golf in a different way,” he added. I found it very natural to myself to play punch shots, little cut shots in the wind, or low shots and different kind of shots, so that’s natural to my game.”Įls’ love of coastal courses has endured throughout his career, along with his admiration for the huge crowds that play such a significant role in making The Open so special. “It’s got to have something to do with the turf that we’re playing off and the kind of golf that you have to play. “I put that tee in the ground and hit my tee shot, my swing just feels different and I feel like I’m really hitting the ball solidly. ![]() “I’ve played hundreds of rounds around links courses and I still have that feeling when I walk on the first at St Andrews or Birkdale or whatever,” he added. ![]() It’s just a love of playing on that kind of land. For some unknown reason that’s just stayed with me for my career. “For some reason, whenever I stepped onto a links land course, and even today, I feel like I hit the ball more solidly than I do on a parkland course. I played at the British Amateur and I played the English Amateur and so on, and I played on great courses. The South African Golf Federation at that time used to send players over to the British Isles. There are no divots flying through the air, just dust and stuff. “It goes back to watching on television, you know, seeing the way the guys were swinging the club and hitting the shots, seeing the dust fly up. I don’t know why I got so comfortable on links courses,” Els said. More than 5,000 miles away from his native Johannesburg, he was already aware the links courses of the United Kingdom represented a golfing environment that suited him like no other. He also appeared totally at ease with the conditions, in sharp contrast to the struggles many players endure when initially familiarising themselves with coastline golf. He soon showed why he was rated so highly.ĭespite the fact he had only one previous major appearance to his name, having missed the cut as an amateur in The 118th Open at Royal Troon, Els was among the front-runners all week and performed admirably to finish in a tie for fifth. This is the story of Els and the respective Open Championships of 1992, 20, three tournaments – each a decade apart – that have had an enormous and lasting impact on one of golf’s most popular players.Ī ged 22, Els was a young man tipped for greatness when he arrived at Muirfield in 1992 for a Championship he would describe more than two decades later as “the opening of the door for me to where I’m sitting today”. However, there was no way the South African could have realised he had written the first chapter in a curiously cyclical tale, beginning a theme that would repeat at 10-year intervals during his glorious, trophy-laden career. When Ernie Els finished tied-fifth at The 121st Open, in only his second appearance at golf’s original Championship, he knew he had achieved a result of great significance. ![]()
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