He's called The Big Easy because of his size and his smooth swing. It's Ernie Els ' demeanor, however, that suits the title so well.

Few great athletes carry themselves so casually. Of all the marquee players in golf, Els is the one you'd most want to have a beer with. He's likable, approachable and rarely wound too tight.

So after one of the most spectacular 67s ever posted in the final round of the Masters and a potential playoff looming, Els seemed at ease standing on the practice green, keeping loose and eating an apple.

"It was either take a nap or eat an apple," Jim Nantz said during the broadcast. "He's never too unnerved."

That was before Phil Mickelson sank his putt, and the ensuing eruption delivered the news to Els that his hopes were sunk.

"I never watched anything going on, but I got a feeling he was going to make birdie," Els said. "So I kind of cursed myself. That was really hard to take."

For a man who's won three majors and lost a few others, Els never looked so shaken.

Els' caddie, Ricci Roberts, agreed with a telling bark: "You would think a ... 67 would be enough. My man did all he could do. This wasn't meant to be."

Els said as much in a revealing post-tournament interview that was anything but easy. He seemed more beaten than any of his other near-misses. Who knew then that he would have three more excruciating major missed opportunities in 2004?

"It's disappointing," Els said. "I've got to take stock after this. It's very tough for me to explain exactly what I feel right now. ...

"I always had a sense that this was my year. ... I had this image in my mind all day that I'd finally be wearing that green jacket. ...

"I played as good as I could. What more could I do, you know? I guess Phil deserved this one. He played great down the stretch. ... He won this one. He didn't lose it like some of his other ones. He won this one, and full credit to him."

Els' round included eagles on the par-5 eighth and 13th holes.

"I gave it my absolute best shot," Els said after the tournament. "I'm very disappointed now, but I'll get over this, no problem. ... I'm going to look myself in the mirror tonight and say, 'Well done!' It's one of those things. That is golf. I've had some good wins, and I've had some tough losses, and this is one of the tough losses."

In a way, he sounded very much like Mickelson had for so many years, right down to his final thought that night.

"I'll have another shot," Els said. "I'm sure of that."

Els has played the good sport before with questions about Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh getting the best of him and the field on other major Sundays.

But Els called this Masters disappointment his most painful: "I guess so. I've never played like that before on the final day."

The immediate flight home to Orlando, Fla., wasn't the tonic.

"We had about a case of beer before we touched down, and that didn't help the pain go away," he said.

While the Mickelsons celebrated late into the night in Augusta, Els talked on the porch with his wife, Liezl, and mother until late before retiring for a fitful night's sleep. Like Mickelson, Els' children - Samantha, 5, and Ben, 2 - injected perspective.

"That's a great thing about having kids," he said. "You go through something like that, and (Samantha) just gave me a hug. She didn't care if I was shooting 67 or 77."

See Phil Mickelson From All Sides
The happiest player ever to win a major
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Arnie The note Ernie Rick & Dave Bones Chris DiMarco	Evan Amy The Girls Dad Mom
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1991 - 2004	The fan The dream The proclamation