Family vacation put Els in right frame of mind
Ernie Els got away from it all for a few days.
No PGA Tour. No press. No pressures.
Last week, it was just him, his family and his game at Cherokee Plantation, a secluded hideaway in Yemassee, S.C., about an hour west of Charleston.
"He was able to practice a lot, but it was good for him because the kids (Samantha and Ben) were running around and he was able to spend time with them," said Els' wife, Liezl. "He feels good. He's in good spirits."
And in excellent position after two rounds of the Masters Tournament.
Els again played conservatively and finished Friday with another 71 to stand at 2-under-par 142, four shots behind leader Chad Campbell.
"Well, it's two good rounds there, two solid rounds," Els said. "I hit a lot of fairways. I hit a lot of greens, a putt here and there. You know, I've got to take what I have. Two under seems like it's not too bad at the moment."
Early on, it appeared Els would make a move. He turned the front nine into "The Big Easy," picking up three strokes to move to 4 under.
He then stumbled on No. 10, pulling his tee shot and struggling on the green for a double bogey. That dropped him to 2 under heading into Amen Corner.
Els, who finished in the top six for five consecutive years at the Masters before last year's unexpected drop to 47th place, survived 11 with a par, two-putted 12 for a bogey, but made that back with a birdie on 13, just missing an eagle when he ran a putt past the hole.
He stayed there through the remainder of the back nine.
"The finish is quite difficult," Els said. "Today the finish is a little downwind, but back nine is awfully tough. The 10th hole is into the wind. It's a very long hole, and 11 is really long. It's almost playing like a par 5. ... You want to be safe and fine. You know, if you're too safe, you've got a very difficult shot to make par."
Through it all, Liezl was there with her omnipresent dark-brown notebook. During majors, she draws maps of every hole and charts Els' shots, in addition to the shots of his playing partners during every round.
She buys a new notebook for each tournament and puts them away when they return home. She's not sure how many she's filled through the years.
"He says to me, 'What are you doing with them?'" Liezl said. "I said, 'They're stuck in the cupboard.' And he said, 'You better take them out.' I'll take them out and see how much of them have survived over the last 10 years. I haven't really looked at them. Ever."
She'll be there again over the weekend as Els continues the quest for his first green jacket.
"Well, I think I haven't quite been in the lead here yet, through two rounds before, but I think I'm going to be in pretty good shape," he said. "I've just got to try and sneak something into the 60s over the weekend and see what happens.
"At least I know you don't have to try and shoot 65 and try to win."
