Els goes to great lengths in winning

By Ferd Lewis and Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writers

Ernie Els believes his increased length is why he has won so much recently. He is hitting his driver as much as 15 yards longer and averaged 316 yards at the Sony Open, yet still hit 80 percent of the greens in regulation.

But Waialae Country Club is known as a shotmaker's course and clearly Els has the golden touch as well.

He finished fifth here in 2000 and fourth in 2001. Els has shot in the 60s all 12 rounds now and won $1,198,000.

"I've always had the feel around the greens, could always shape the ball," Els said. "With that extra length I've got now, that's something I needed. I always enjoyed shaping the ball around a golf course, like at the U.S. and British Opens. That's never been a problem."

Money is also not a problem. Els has won $1,810,000 in Hawai'i the past two weeks, pushing him into fifth on the tour's career money list ($17,118,529). He collected $2 million more last month when he won the Nedbank Challenge back home in South Africa.

Hawai'i is now a second home.

"If I'm still on this side of the ground I'll be coming back," Els said. "If I'm the other way, I probably won't. I'd love to come back. It's a great, great place. There are great people and we have a great time."

• Happy to be back: Maybe only the staff at the Orlando Regional Medical Center in Florida really knew what the week at the Sony Open meant to Dicky Pride.

Pride, who had to earn his place in the event through Monday qualifying, shot a 4-under-par 276, tying for 40th place and taking home $15,363.

It is a far cry from eight months ago when the hospital staff suffered along with Pride as the PGA Tour played on without him. Pride was, as he put it, "a mess of tubes and things," during the summer, the result of a prolonged bout with gallstone pancriatis, a condition that eventually cost him his gall bladder, 25 pounds and more than three months playing time on the Tour.

One day Pride was playing a practice round for the Bay Hill Invitational in his Orlando, Fla., hometown and the next he was flat on his back in the hospital, getting his food through a tube and his golf on a television set.

"I watched a little more golf than I cared to," Pride said. "It is kinda hard when you sit there, watch and say, 'I know that guy and I can beat him.' I'm yelling, 'get out of the sand!' "

During such episodes, "the (heart) monitor would go way up" and the staff would get concerned. "After a while they learned not to mess with me on Saturdays and Sundays," Pride said.

• Potty putt: For the first time in the tournament Aaron Baddeley pulled away from a putt — because someone slammed the door loudly on a portable toilet on the 17th hole.

When Baddeley lined up again for the putt, it lipped out left and went for a bogey that put him one shot behind Ernie Els.

"The door slammed on my backswing, so I backed off," Baddeley said. "(After that), I just hit a bad putt. I pulled it."

But Baddeley refused to blame the bogey on the noise. "That's just part of the game. Nothing you can do."

SHORT PUTTS: When Jerry Kelly sank a long eagle putt on the final hole yesterday, he broke into a big grin and began shaking the shaka sign at the gallery. He had good reason. The putt was worth $71,625 for the 2002 Sony Open champion — the difference between the $198,000 he won by tying for fourth and what he would have received for parring and sharing seventh. ... Stuart Appleby posted the tournament's low round yesterday morning, shooting a 7-under 63 to pull into sixth. It was also a tournament record for a Sunday. ... Qualifier Andy Miller, son of U.S. Open champion and broadcaster Johnny Miller, shot a tournament-record 29 on the front nine yesterday and finished with 64. ... Yesterday was the first playoff in the Sony Open. The Hawaiian Open had eight in its 33-year run. Paul Stankowski won the last, in 1997, over Jim Furyk and Mike Reid. ... Shigeki Maruyama had the best finish of the five Japanese players who made the cut (10 entered the tournament). Maruyama's 10-under 270 placed him seventh. ... Sergio Garcia eagled or birdied all eight par-5 holes this week. ... Charles Howell III now has 26 consecutive rounds of par or better. ... Waialae's first hole proved to be the most difficult the first three days and throughout the week. The 488-yard par-4, which played into the wind all week, had an average score of 4.361. That hole was a par-5 until 1999. ... Yesterday, the 466-yard par-4 fifth hole played the toughest, at 4.273. ... The 510-yard par-5 ninth hole was the easiest all four days, with a 4.2 average and 45 eagles.