TULSA, OK – Last night, Ernie Els said he’d have to shoot one of the rounds of his life to come from behind and overtake Tiger Woods and claim the 89th PGA Championship. After carding six birdies today, he fell just three shots short. Els had a final round 66 charging from six shots back to close the gap, but it wasn’t enough as Tiger Woods grinded his way to a Sunday 69 to win the season’s final major golf championship. Els, who had suffered through a knee injury during a tubing accident in South Africa and then changed equipment to Calloway just before the Masters had difficulty through May of this year, but began a resurgence as the summer progressed.
“He’s been swinging better since the Memorial” noted The Golf Channel’s Frank Nobilo in a short chat with Cybergolf. “He’s got Josh [his swing coach] here and they’ve been working well all week. His putting was inconsistent, but he really did well in that stat this week.” Els finished second in putting and was leading the field after three rounds.
After three rounds Els had fourteen birdies, but was only 1-under. He noted Saturday evening, “I’m making soft mistakes, soft errors, a three-putt here or a bogey or double from nowhere like number four, the short little par-4. That drives me crazy.
Els righted the ship for most of the day, carding only two bogeys, but two short putts and a wayward tee shot at sixteen dampened the rally. “I played really well today. I got off to the start I needed” he said in a dejected voice with his shoulders slumped. But the putt on 9 and 11 and the drive on 16, if I could just have those back.”
Nevertheless, after a brilliant final round at the British Open where he finished fourth and a solid week at Southern Hills, Els appears ready to again be a factor at major championships. “I played two good majors this year….and the way I played today and at the Open on the final day, that’s the way I want to play in major championships.” A triple bogey down the stretch cost Els a chance to snatch the title from eventual winner Padriag Harrington who outdueled Sergio Garcia in a playoff. Els leads president’s cup standings for the International team.
Els also added that he has finally started to feel comfortable with his Calloway equipment. “It’s been a big change for me this year. I changed before the Masters, but between that and my putting and short game coming around, I hope I can keep on this trend and give him [Tiger] a go soon.”
Giving Tiger a go may prove difficult no matter how anyone plays. After steamrolling at Firestone to a eight shot win in the Bridgestone World Golf Championships, Woods two-ironed and putted to victory this week. More telling, Woods finished first in hitting greens in regulation from out of the rough this week, despite most other players saying the rough was so penal hitting greens would be near impossible. During his second round 63, Woods missed five fairways, yet hit the green four times. Woods finished fourth in greens in regulation, ninth in driving accuracy and ninth in putting.
When asked what adjustments he made between Oakmont and Carnoustie on the one hand and Firestone and Southern Hills on the other, Woods had an instructive analysis. “At Oakmont, I gave myself a lot of looks at birdies, but I just left them in the wrong spots. That Sunday I had alot of putts form ten to twelve feet, but they all had three or four feet of break and you’re not going to make those all the time. I didn’t put the ball in the right position to make putts and that happens.”
This week, Woods was leaving the ball in the right places on the greens where I had straighter putts. Especially during his second round 63, even the longer putts Woods made were relatively straight. He kept himself away from places on Perry Maxwell’s greens that were severely sloping and instead played to flat spots and rolled in easier putts. Before last years British Open at Royal Liverpool, Woods remarked “I hate greens that have elephants buried under them” and after Oakmont, when asked if he would copy the greens in courses he would design as an architect he perfunctorily replied “no, I’d take nothing from Oakmont. I wouldn’t have any members.” Such a position is strange given his four green jackets.
Woods came out like gangbusters, reaching 3-under for the day and 10-under for the tournament after sinking a ten-foot putt at the eighth. For a moment, it looked as though he would not only claim the Wanamaker Trophy, but would nab the aggregate scoring record in a major, one of the only major championship records that has eluded him. This is a sure bar bet winner – the record, 269 is held by David Toms, who was 15-under par for four days over the par-71 Lake Course at The Atlanta Athletic Club (Highlands Course).
The record did not fall, however. After taking a five shot lead, Woods played the remainder of the round 1-over while made three birdies in five holes and Woody Austin made three consecutive birdies at 11, 12 and 13 to close the gap. Nevertheless, Woods, the best in the game at grabbing a clutch birdie when things get tight, found the courage and fortitude to keep the tournament just out of reach. After bogeying 14 to let his lead dwindle to just one over Austin, “I just did some serious yelling at myself going up to the 15th tee” he said with a steely, but satisfied grin. “I just kept telling myself Ernie and Woody were making runs, but I still had the lead and if I made pars they would have to come get me. If they made a birdie to tie, I could birdie the same hole and I’d have the lead again.” Woods’ birdie at re-established his two-shot cushion and gave him the comfort zone to coast home with three pars. Woods hit his last four fairways and greens of the tournament to close with precision.
In his fiftieth major in competition, Tiger has now claimed his 13th major. At the same point in his career, Jack Nicklaus had only eleven. With his victory, Woods earned a spot in the PGA Grand Slam of Golf against the other major champions, Zach Johnson, Angel Cabrera and Padraig Harrington. The event will be played at the renowned Mid-Ocean Club in Bermuda. Woods also heads into the FedEx Cup as a prohibitive favorite and secured a strong position for consideration in Player of the Year voting.
The colorful Austin, wearing his trademark Tabasco shirt, surprised everyone by finishing second after a sizzling 67. Arron Oberholser and John Senden finished a distant third at 1-under. Geoff Ogilvy, Trevor Immelman and Simon Dyson finished at level par. Dyson’s 64 was the low round of the day. Oklahoma native and local favorite Scott Verplank joined Bo Weekley and Kevin Sutherland at 1-over 281.
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