Els outlasts Baddeley in Sony Open playoff

By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer

Thanks to Ernie Els, the final round of the Sony Open in Hawai'i was the best and worst day of Aaron Baddeley's brief golf life.

Ernie Els could finally lift the Sony Open in Hawai'i trophy after beating Aaron Baddeley on the second playoff hole. Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser

Els, fresh off a victory on Maui, beat Baddeley on the second playoff hole yesterday at Waialae Country Club. Els' stunning 43-foot birdie putt from the fringe of the 10th green dropped into the heart of the hole. It was all that Baddeley could not overcome in his first tournament as a PGA Tour member.

"He has an unbelievable future," said Els, the world's second-ranked player, of Baddeley, who will turn 22 on St. Patrick's Day. "He's a great player already. He stuck in there, did what he had to do. Did what great champions do. ... I thought the kid would go away but he kept at me."

All Baddeley did not do was win. When his 20-foot birdie putt stopped — "a quarter of a roll shy," according to Baddeley — Els became the first golfer in 13 years to win the first two tour events of the season.

Els had a record-breaking 31-under-par performance at the Mercedes Championships last week. Yesterday, he earned his 41st victory worldwide, including eight in the last calendar year and three majors. Two of those came in playoffs.

Els closed with a 3-under 67 to catch Baddeley, whose gritty 10-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole gave him a 69 and pushed this to a playoff with both men at 16-under 264. Chris DiMarco took third with a 66, finishing two back. Defending Sony champion Jerry Kelly (65) eagled the last hole to pull into a tie for fourth with Robert Allenby (66).

No one caught Baddeley and Els all day.

They both birdied the first playoff hole — No. 18 — and took off for the 10th tee. Els had driven that 353-yard par-4 the first time around yesterday and two-putted to take first by himself for the first time in the tournament. He tried to drive it again, putting a bit more effort into his legendary "effortless" swing. He hooked the ball pin-high, left of the green and stranded on a brown patch of grass close to the cart path.

Ernie Els, top, holed a 43-foot putt on the second extra hole yesterday to win the Sony Open. His putt from the fringe put the pressure on PGA Tour rookie Aaron Baddeley, above, to sink a 20-foot putt to extend the playoff. The 21-year-old's putt stopped at the lip of the cup. Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser

Faced with a difficult pitch shot to an elevated green, with no margin for error in front, Els played it safe — as he had all day with a putter that was precise but constantly short.

"I was just hoping to get to 11 (the next playoff hole) ...," Els said. "It's just a crazy game."

Els' shot dropped by the hole and rolled through to the far fringe.

"I had no shot to get it near the hole," he recalled. "If I tried to get it near the hole I was going to mess up. I basically just gave myself a putt. When I drove it there this morning it was almost in the same place so I had a bit of a read from early on. It got about six feet away and I was just hoping that I hit it hard enough because I left quite a few putts short today and it just went boom straight in the middle.

"I almost could not believe it. A great way to finish and, unfortunately for Aaron, I know exactly what it feels like. I have been there quite a few times in my career and to come that close, I know it is disappointing. But he is going to win a lot of tournaments."

Baddeley hit his drive into the greenside bunker and blasted out 20 feet short of the hole. He was pondering that putt while Els launched in his monster for what, ultimately, was the win.

"It was a tough day," said Baddeley, his eyes red and his voice unsure for the first time all week. "I didn't strike it my best and I didn't drive it too well, but I hung in there. I just stuck with it, grinded making pars, trying to stick with Ernie.

"I don't think he was supposed to hole that putt. I wasn't expecting him to anyway. That was a heck of a putt Ernie holed to win."

Els, who shook Baddeley's hand when he made the putt to force the playoff, put his arm around Baddeley like a boy consoling his little brother after it was over. Baddeley embraced him.

"At the moment I'm disappointed because I had a chance to win," Baddeley said. "But I am happy because I made Ernie work for it."

Baddeley had won before, capturing the Australian Open as an amateur in 1999 and again in 2000, then winning the Greg Norman Holden International the following year. But in 21 previous PGA Tour appearances he had collected only $35,000 and needed a solid season on the Nationwide Tour last year to finally get official playing privileges.

Baddeley's swing was flawed yesterday for the first time in the tournament — his drives found only four fairways — but it only made his round more impressive. Baddeley scrambled getting up and down for par six times.

After extending his advantage to three with a 5-foot birdie putt on the second hole, Baddeley bogeyed the third and fifth. It was as many bogeys as he had the previous three rounds. He fell into a tie with Els, who had birdied No. 4. Baddeley hung on grimly, never deviating from his pre-swing routine, no matter what came between him and the hole.

He matched Els' two-putt birdie on the ninth and caught him with a birdie on the 16th. He dropped back with his only three-putt of the tournament at the next hole and even that had an asterisk: Baddeley had to back off his three-foot par putt when the door from a nearby portable toilet slammed shut.

He went through his routine again and missed it, then made up for it with the gutsy 11 1/2-foot birdie putt a few minutes later — moments after Els had pulled a 12-footer that would have won it.

"This is what it is all about, isn't it?" said Els. "This is why you practice and spend hours on the range for this kind of situation where it is really tight and no one wants to give up anything. I really felt that I was swinging well today and I could see that Aaron wasn't too comfortable with his swing. But he is young and full of confidence and he has so much talent that he just stuck in there and never let go. He made great putts, great saves and I just couldn't shake him.

"Then, the last four or five holes, he started hitting it great and I was just trying to hang in there. Obviously, it is a lot of fun when you win and I can just imagine what he is thinking now, but this is what it is all about. You have to just try and find a way to win."