Hot start in Hawai'i has Els thinking big in 2003
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By Bill Kwon
A lot of people visit Hawai'i for two weeks. But nobody takes home $1.81 million as Ernie Els did in winning the first two PGA Tour events of the season — the Mercedes Championships and the Sony Open in Hawai'i.
Associated Press
That's a lot of aloha starting off the aloha golf season.
"I really could not be more thrilled with my start to the year," says Ernie Els, who won on Maui and O'ahu to start the 2003 PGA Tour season.
"It's been great to have the family with me this past fortnight, especially in a place as beautiful as Hawai'i," Els said. "I could easily relax for another week or two here."
Fortnight. That's South African for you. Us local guys would rather say two weeks.
In either case, what a great time for Els, who became the first player on the PGA Tour to pull a two-fer starting the year since Steve Jones in 1989. And the winning purses then were nowhere near what they are now.
Els just didn't win, he dominated. He won both the Mercedes and Sony events by shooting all eight rounds in the 60s for a combined 47-under par, although he needed two extra holes to beat Aaron Baddeley, the talented 21-year-old tour rookie from Australia, in an exciting finish to the Sony Open in Hawai'i.
"I honestly could not be more thrilled with my start to the year. To win the first two tournaments of the season is beyond my expectations," Els said.
The Mercedes victory at Kapalua moved Els into No. 2 in the world golf rankings, replacing Phil Mickelson. Everybody knows who's No. 1.
Still rehabbing from knee surgery, a lurking Tiger Woods remains on everyone's mind. Even Els'.
When Els won at Kapalua with a PGA record score of 31-under-par, he said he wasn't sending a message to anyone.
Despite adding the Sony Open in Hawai'i to his 2003 title resume at the Waialae Country Club Sunday, Els might insist it's still not a message.
However, it was surely a wake-up call to Woods, who now finds himself trailing by $1.8 million in his quest to become the first player to win the PGA Tour's money title five straight years. Besides Woods, only Tom Watson has won four in a row.
Woods expects to make his 2003 debut at the Buick Invitational on Feb. 13, and if he plays the Nissan Open the following week — he didn't last year — it will give him two tournaments to make up some ground on Els, who won't be playing in a PGA event again until the World Match Play Championship at La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, Calif., Feb. 24 through March 2.
Ernie Els averaged 315.8 yards off the tee in capturing the Sony Open in Hawai'i, where he went extra holes for his second victory of the 2003 season. Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser
Wouldn't it be something if the two were to meet head-to-head there when Els returns from his trip around the world and Woods returns from his injury.
Els is in no hurry to meet up with Woods.
"I didn't miss him," Els said with a laugh when he won at Kapalua. "I don't know what he's thinking. At the moment, I don't really care,"
Els said at Waialae when asked about Woods: "He's obviously going to come back strong. I'm sure he's chomping at the bit to get back here and start playing. But I've had a great start. I'm looking forward to my year."
And it should be an intriguing year, watching Woods and Els duel.
When you think about it, of all the players capable of challenging Woods, Els is the most legitimate contender. Mickelson? Nah. He's 0-for-38 in the majors, while Els is the reigning British Open champion with two U.S. Open titles.
Of course, when Els first challenged Woods three years ago, Tiger won by a TKO, starting with a 40-foot bomb on the second playoff hole to win the 2000 Mercedes Championships.
It was a psychological blow from which Els took 18 months to recover. The memory still lingers as he brought it up at Kapalua and Waialae.
"He shot us all down, especially me," said Els, who won only once in 2000 and was winless in 2001 for the first time since joining the PGA Tour.
"I was trying to downplay it at the end of that year, but I think it eventually took its effect on me at the start of 2001. I still had a hangover from the previous year's defeat. But that's history."
A "new" Els appears ready to take on Tiger again.
With new everything — from equipment, including a new Titleist driver, the 332X Titleist golf ball, shoes and clothing — Els says he's working to improve his game mentally and physically.
By mentally, Els means not getting caught up again with the Tiger whirlwind as in 2000. That's when Woods went on a streak we will probably never see again with nine victories. Els said he got down on himself despite five runner-up finishes, including in three majors.
Physically, he has worked on adding length to his drives to "play with the big boys," he said.
Last year he ranked 30th on the tour in driving with a 285.8-yard average.
"I'm 10-15 yards longer now," said the 33-year-old Els, who's averaging 319.6 yards in his first two starts this year.
Maybe the Plantation Course isn't a good indication of Els' new-found length because it's wide open and you can whale away at it. But despite a lack of wind all four days, Els averaged 323.3 yards off the tee.
A truer measure, though, came at Waialae with a lot of in-your-face wind and tight fairways. There, Els still bombed away for a 315.8-yard clip, which led the field.
He's already one of the best wedge players and, oh, that swing.
"A swing to die for," Woods once said admiringly of the "Big Easy."
Now, Els has added a new weapon to his arsenal. The true test, though, will come when Tiger returns.
One guy who thinks Els will be more than ready to take on Tiger is Rocco Mediate, who finished tied for second, eight strokes behind in the Mercedes Championships.
"I don't see a problem with Ernie challenging Tiger for the next however many years," said Mediate.
Bill Kwon can be reached at bkwon@aloha.net.
