Pressure Not a Problem for Els
July 16: Ernie Els is not fearing the prospect of a Sunday shoot-out with the world No1. He is relishing the prospect of them both being at the top of the leaderboard and battling it out on the last day.
As a man who once thought he could not beat Tiger Woods, Ernie Els has undergone a transformation. Far from fearing the prospect of a Sunday shoot-out with the world No1, the defending champion is relishing the prospect of them both being at the top of the leaderboard and battling it out on the last day.
No player in the world has been runner-up to Woods as often as Els. The Tiger's tail- lights have been a familiar sight. But the South African, the second-ranked player in the world, survived a traumatic finish to last year's Open at Muirfield, including a four-way play-off, to take the title.
The manner of that win together with work with his psychologist Jos Vanstiphout has changed his outlook and, with clear wire-to-wire wins for him and Woods in their last tournaments, there is real anticipation at St George's that the two best players, in their pomp, could provide the sort of drama witnessed in Sandwich a decade ago, when Greg Norman held off Bernhard Langer and Nick Faldo.
"Yeah, it could happen," said Els. "Tiger is playing really well. It is just ridiculous the press he has been getting for not winning a major in a year. So I think he is going to try and prove something and have a good week. But I have been playing well too and I'm looking forward to the same. Hopefully then it will happen. I don't feel any extra pressure."
Equally Els does not feel any extra pressure in being the defending champion and one of the favourites to be holding aloft the claret jug on Sunday.
"I don't think you get extra confidence being the defending champion," he said. "I haven't felt anything different this week. I know players have won back-to-back Opens before so there's no extra pressure there.
"I'm feeling physically as good as I've ever been. I made some nice putts at Loch Lomond last week and it was a good sign to win from day one, to sleep with the pressure of leading the tournament. That was a nice accomplishment. My short and long games are good and there's no reason why I shouldn't play well."
No player in the world has been runner-up to Woods as often as Els. The Tiger's tail- lights have been a familiar sight. But the South African, the second-ranked player in the world, survived a traumatic finish to last year's Open at Muirfield, including a four-way play-off, to take the title.
The manner of that win together with work with his psychologist Jos Vanstiphout has changed his outlook and, with clear wire-to-wire wins for him and Woods in their last tournaments, there is real anticipation at St George's that the two best players, in their pomp, could provide the sort of drama witnessed in Sandwich a decade ago, when Greg Norman held off Bernhard Langer and Nick Faldo.
"Yeah, it could happen," said Els. "Tiger is playing really well. It is just ridiculous the press he has been getting for not winning a major in a year. So I think he is going to try and prove something and have a good week. But I have been playing well too and I'm looking forward to the same. Hopefully then it will happen. I don't feel any extra pressure."
Equally Els does not feel any extra pressure in being the defending champion and one of the favourites to be holding aloft the claret jug on Sunday.
"I don't think you get extra confidence being the defending champion," he said. "I haven't felt anything different this week. I know players have won back-to-back Opens before so there's no extra pressure there.
"I'm feeling physically as good as I've ever been. I made some nice putts at Loch Lomond last week and it was a good sign to win from day one, to sleep with the pressure of leading the tournament. That was a nice accomplishment. My short and long games are good and there's no reason why I shouldn't play well."
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