Now this irritates me. I am a fan of Ernie Els, but to see all of the stories out there that his "Grueling schedule causes Els' final-round collapse" is ridiculous. I don't particularly like to see any PGA player shoot an 80 or above, other than David Duval, but a lame excuse that he is tired is nuts.
Ernie and every other guy out there are paid to play golf, so what if Ernie has played 6 weeks in a row. That was his choice. I only wish I could play that much golf. But to say he was too tired just pisses me off. He is one of the greatest golfers in the world, I say if he is this tired he should have taken a nap.
I think the double bogey on the first hole and the fact that this was a damn tough golf course caused him to shoot 80. Here are some interesting numbers from yesterday: 28 rounds in the 80's (out of 66), 78.72 stroke average for the field, low round for the day was a par 70 by Robert Allenby.
Please, no more stupid excuses like being tired, just admit it when one of these guys has an off day. We all have them.
Amen, brother.
ReplyDeleteActually, some of us have more than off days. Some of us have off months (kind of like me - my game has been missing for so long I'm not sure I would recognize it if it showed up.)
Els is a great player and surely doesn't need an excuse for an occasional bad round. I rather doubt if he appreciates his apologists making him look like a simpering looser instead of the robust champ he is.
Els needs to look at his schedule more closely. It's just crazy to play 5 consectuive weeks coming into Golf's toughest test, the US Open. And he doesn't just play in the US - he does too much globe trotting (Australia, the Far East, Sout Africa, Europe, North America) in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteI think he just ran out of gas yesterday, while Mickelson and Goosen, who did not play so much before this week, were still running on all cylinders (particularly Goosen, a putting performance like that I don't think we've ever seen in a major).
i had an off decade once.
ReplyDeleteI think the comment regarding Ernie - "too much globe trotting" - sums up everything that is wrong with the insular attitudes of the the majority of American golfers and fans.
ReplyDeleteGolf is a world game - Ernie is a far better player by having experienced the wide range of different conditions throughout the world. As is Tiger, even if his travels abroad usually involve a hefty appearance fee.