Els makes amends with early birdie blitz

Ernie Els, acutely embarrassed by his opening effort, a two-over-par 74, set out strongly to restore his fortunes in yesterday's second round of the Bay Hill Invitational here in Florida.

He began with four successive birdies and before play was brought to a halt by a thunder and lightning storm when he was on his 14th hole had added another, to join the early leaders on three under par.

Others on that mark were Steve Lowery, Peter Lonard, Billy Andrade, Stewart Cink, Jonathan Kaye, Jeff Maggert, JL Lewis and Aaron Baddeley.

Els had holed a huge birdie putt of fully 50 feet at his first hole, the 10th and, unusually for the undemonstrative South African, punched the air in delight. The putt had been gathering steam downhill when it hit the hole and Els recognised it for the good break that it was.

But there was nothing fortuitous about his birdie at the 11th where his second shot covered the pin all the way, giving him an eight-footer which was always in.

The long 12th saw Els bunkered by the green, but as he is one of the world's great sand-shot players there was nothing surprising about his recovery to four feet, for a third successive birdie.

A fourth followed at the 13th. When he then hit what seemed a perfect tee shot at the short 14th it looked as if he might start with five successive birdies, but the ball ran on 15 feet past the hole and although Els' putt grazed the hole, it did not go in.

The magic disappeared at the long 16th. His drive finished in trees and, attempting to punch the ball through a gap, he stone-cold topped it no more than 20 yards before it hit a tree.

He was fortunate to have a shot of any kind but he is not the world No2 for nothing and he manufactured a brilliant recovery, fading a 170-yard shot some 20 yards round a stand of trees, to the back of the green. He had missed out on the birdie the field routinely gets at this hole, but saved par.

As he walked to the 17th tee he turned to two British journalists following him and said: "I played that hole like one of you." If he meant the second shot, that was an insult even to acknowledged hackers.

Els went on to birdie the 3rd, his 12th, a difficult par-four where water threatens both drive and second shot. But again the South African produced a wonderful effort and holed from eight feet.

It was an emphatic answer to the travails of the first round when his 74 included three putts from four feet, leading to a triple-bogey six at the short 14th. He ended the opening day four behind Tiger Woods, whose 70 put him one behind the first-round leaders, in what is the first clash of the two men in a strokeplay event this year.

Els' actual score was not the embarrassment. The average score for the field in the afternoon was 75, such were the conditions. But his playing of the short 14th made all who saw it cringe. Having hit a poor tee shot into sand he made an amateurish attempt at a recovery, finishing in thick fringe rough.

He played a good shot to four feet, but then hit a putt that ran two feet past. He walked quickly round and, without looking at the line, rushed the putt three feet past.

It was uncharacteristic and clearly unsettled Els who went on to bogey the short 17th and could have double-bogeyed the 18th had not his ball luckily ricocheted off rocks guarding the greenside lake.