Els making Mercedes look so easy

By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer

Ernie Els chipped in for an eagle-3 on the par-5 ninth of the Plantation Course en route to a second-round 8-under 65 in the Mercedes Championships in Kapalua. Associated Press 2003 Mercedes Championships WHAT: PGA Tour season-opening event featuring 36 of the 2002 tournament champions WHERE: Kapalua Plantation Course (Par 36-37i73, 7,263 yards) WHEN: From 10:30 a.m. today and 10 a.m. tomorrow PURSE: $5 million ($1 million first prize, plus a Mercedes-Benz SL500) DEFENDING CHAMPION: Sergio Garcia (18-under 274) TELEVISION: ESPN, 2-5:30 p.m. today, 2-5 p.m. tomorrow

At the Mercedes Championships, the wind is all that stands between a good score and a great one. Soft Kona breezes the first two days have left an entire golf course utterly defenseless.

Els, frustrated here twice before, has returned with a vengeance. His 8-under-par 65 yesterday set a 36-hole scoring record of 17-under 129 — one better than David Duval in 1999. But for a double bogey Thursday, Els would have obliterated the record. He is obliterating the par-5s. Els has played them in 11-under with three eagles, including a chip-in at No. 9 yesterday.

The world's third-ranked golfer — behind Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, the only invited players missing the Mercedes — goes into today's third round with a three-shot advantage over Bob Estes, whose 66 was instigated by a little luck on the seventh hole.

"The wind was left to right and in," Estes recalled. "I hit it right. The marshal thought my ball was in the hazard. We were looking for it in the hazard. Somebody spotted a ball about 20 yards further down in the rough. That was my ball."

His approach shot stopped 60 feet from the hole and Estes coaxed in the "sidewinder that probably would have gone 15 feet past if it didn't hit the hole."

He never flirted with disaster again. Neither did K.J. Choi (67), who is alone in third, five shots back. Defending Sony Open in Hawai'i champion Jerry Kelly (70) birdied two of the last three to surge into a tie for fourth, with 2001 U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen (65) and Chris Riley (70).

Riley also chipped in for eagle on the ninth hole and shared the lead with Els for a moment, but he double-bogeyed the 15th after going bogey-free the first 32 holes of this season. He played the back nine in 2 over, becoming one of the few to put it in reverse. Jim Furyk, the 2001 champion who shared the first-round lead with Els, was another. He bogeyed Nos. 11 and 12 and is seven back this morning.

He has been there before and won. Els has been here before and lost.

Tiger Woods beat him in a playoff to win the 2000 Mercedes and has continued his hold over Els ever since. Furyk came from behind to win the following year and Els finished a frustrated third.

"I used to be a great front-runner," Els said with a guilty grin. "I had a couple of mishaps. But then again, the last year or so, I became a good front-runner again.

"It's tough you know. It's not the easiest thing to go to sleep on a lead every night. It's what we play for. You feel like you just want to keep going. I've got to really wind down tonight and start getting focused again tomorrow morning, see what the weather is like and so forth. But it's pretty tough, you know. Don't get me wrong — it's nice, but it's also tough."

After going winless for the first time in six years in 2001, Els got his groove back last year. He won four times, grinding out his third major championship at the British Open. His game appears as effortless as his swing again. But there are still two days left and the possibility of some wacky weather to break three straight days of incredible beauty.

Els hopes he is ready for anything.

"You are always going to have disappointments in this game," said the South African who has won 39 tournaments all over the world. "You have more disappointments than success in this game. The little bit of success I've had in this game has been pretty nice.

"The last two times I was here, I just got beat. The guys played better than I did. I've got to be watching out for them the next couple of days. There are low numbers to be made out there. These guys can do it. By the same token, I like playing this golf course. I enjoy coming here. I really feel like the season is right there for me. Might as well make a good start to it. It's a nice place to do it."

The forecast is for wind today, which will be a drastic change from the first two days. Estes and Els both said that if the forecast is accurate, their days of "freewheeling it" around the Plantation are over.

Basically, they say "Bring it on."

"You have to think more," Estes said. "Guys who play here a bunch, we have more of an advantage if it does blow. If it's calm, it's almost like playing in Palm Springs. More wind would make it a lot better for somebody like me or Ernie or whoever that has played here a number of times."

Estes tied for 10th last year — one of his eight Top-10 finishes — and played the Kapalua International three times.