Easy does it for Ernie

ERNIE ELS is clearly a superstitious soul.
Without a win for over a year the South African arrived at Humewood Golf Club and his national Open in December desperate to preserve a record of at least one victory somewhere in the world going back to 1991.

That run comprised 15 wins on the PGA Tour, including two in the US Open, and 46 others worldwide, including the 2002 Open Championship at Muirfield. The year had so far brought nothing but the 'Big Easy' remained hopeful that his run of luck was about to change, though he was digging deep to accentuate the positives.

"Back in 1992, my big breakthrough year as a pro, I won six times, including a tournament they called the Goodyear Classic which was played here at Humewood," he said. "I beat Retief Goosen by a shot, shooting 67 in the final round, so let's hope history repeats itself."

Well, Els got his wish, beating not Goosen but another countryman, Trevor Immelman, by three shots after a magnificent final-round 65. Starting the day three adrift, he was ahead after just six holes and rammed home his advantage with five birdies in six holes on the back nine.

It was his 62nd success worldwide and fourth in this tournament so it is unlikely to send shockwaves around the golfing world.

For Els, though, it could prove to be a crucial turning point in a glittering career. When he captured the Dunhill Championship in December 2005 it looked to be a seamless return from a knee injury for the popular South African. In just his second tournament back, following surgery in July, he prevailed by three shots and went into the 2006 season with high hopes.

"A week ago I would have been happy just to have broken 80 because of my knee," reflected Els, a member of Leopard Creek Country Club with has a house on the estate. "To win so soon after coming back to tournament golf is like a dream come true."

A year of consistent finishes followed and left him in fifth spot on the Order of Merit and 28th on the PGA Tour Money List. He also maintained his impressive record of playing at the weekend.

Els doesn't do missed cuts.

The three-time Major winner currently holds the record of most consecutive cuts on both sides of the Atlantic but great players are not measured by their ability to play all four rounds. They are measured in the number of 1sts in the position bracket and, for Els, there were none in 2006 until the final event of the year.

He came close, second in Dubai to Tiger Woods, to make it seven runners-up spots behind the world No 1, as well as losing to Adam Scott in another play-off in Singapore. And third place in the Open Championship gave him his highest finish in the Majors since losing out to Todd Hamilton in a play-off at Royal Troon.

Promising as that was, he was found wanting over the weekend at Hoylake, with two rounds of 71 leaving him five adrift of, once again, Woods.

In the 2003 and 2004 Majors had Els failed to finish in the top 10 just once and came agonisingly close to breaking his Masters duck three years ago only for Phil Mickelson's sensational final back nine to deny him.

However, the last two years have realised just one top 10, at Royal Liverpool, and the 37-year-old will know only too well that time is running out to add to his three Majors.

But despite talk of a mini slump the signs look promising again. When he has needed to perform in the closing months of the year he has. Going into the Chrysler Championship at the end of October he sat in 30th spot on the Money List and right on the bubble of making it to the season-ending Tour Championship, something he would normally have guaranteed months previously.

A sorry back nine left him out of the tournament before a driver off the fairway set up an eagle at the 14th and up-and-downs at the last two holes saw him sneak to East Lake.

Had he made bogey, he would have finished 31st on the money list by £449.

"The last two were big. I'll remember those for a long time. You go through a process like this, you appreciate getting to the Tour Championship.

Normally you just walk in there but this time it was hard work. After the front nine I knew the tournament was over for me but I still had to try and get a high finish."

Then, with just one chance to end his winless run in 2006, he blew a quality field apart on home soil, finishing on 24-under, in a tournament he has a special connection with.

After his final round he explained: "That's as good as I can play probably. There were a lot of different emotions going on. I view the South African Open like I do a Major, and that's how I played this week."

So can he add to his two US Opens and single Open success? We all know Els can handle the lightning fast greens and enjoys the generous fairways of Augusta ­ five straight top-six efforts from 2000 testify to that. And the former World Junior Champion knows where he has to improve ­ off the tee and on the greens.

"It's not like I've fallen off the map completely. I just haven't been consistent," explained one of the game's most popular players. What's let me down is my putting and driving. Because I haven't driven the ball that well, I've put a lot of pressure on my putting."

If he can improve on these areas of his game ­ Els was 143rd in the Total Driving stats in America in 2006 ­ and it looks like he is well on the way to doing that, then he will arrive at the US Open and Oakmont, the scene of his first Major victory some 13 years ago, in confident mood.

Then, in soaring temperatures in Pennsylvania, Els kept his cool after slipping back into a three-man play-off with Colin Montgomerie and Loren Roberts.
Carnoustie follows that in July ­and it could be his best hope. Els loves the demands of links golf, in particular when the wind blows and conditions get tough.

"I actually hope it blows gales because I like playing tough golf courses, especially links, in the wind. That's when you have to shape your shots and use your imagination and those are my strengths," he said.

His win at Muirfield apart, this decade has been a succession of close shaves (five top-threes in seven years) but Carnoustie sets up similarly to the East Lothian course.

And he will not be too badly affected by the memories of the 1999 Championship where a combination of punishing rough, a 7,361-yard set-up and miserable weather left the winning total at six-over.

The final Major, the USPGA Championship, is back at Southern Hills where Nick Price prevailed 13 years ago. Then Els was tied for 25th after a couple of rounds in the 60s and the following year he should have followed in the Zimbabwean's footsteps when grabbing a three-shot advantage after three days at Riviera. Rounds of 66-65-66 were followed by a one-over 72 to let in Steve Elkington and Montgomerie while at Whistling Straits three years ago he missed out by a single stroke as Vijay Singh claimed his third Major.

The Tiger Woods phenomenon may have affected him more than most, but little changes in the world of the 'Big Easy'. Ask any of the professionals up and down the range whose swing they would most like to have and the answer more often than not would be Els. Ask who they would most like to have a pint with at the end of the day and the reply would be the same.

But as well as being friendly and down-to-earth, Els is also supremely self-confident. For many the notion of overtaking Woods at the top of the world rankings is unthinkable, but for Els it is within the realms of reality ­ albeit something he admits will take time.

"I am definitely refocused and dedicated. I've given myself a realistic goal for the next three years and that means I have to dedicate myself physically and mentally," he stated. "If you look at where the number one player is right now, you are not going to get near him in one or two years, so I've got to give myself a three-year stretch to try to approach him."

He may have been taken a few body blows but Els looks ready to come out fighting in 2007.