Els just hoping to have ‘a really good week’

FORMER major champions always get a special welcome on their return to the courses they once reigned over but Ernie Els is desperate for his fellow members at Congressional Country Club to help him ignite the sort of form that helped him win his second US Open back in 1997.

A year after being in with a shout of a third title at the midway point in a stellar year for the South African, 41-year-old Els is back at the bottom of a steep hill in terms of his form and confidence.

Not the ideal way to revisit the scene of past glories, when Els came home with five straight pars en route to a final-round 69 on a steamy afternoon in Maryland as his rivals Colin Montgomerie, Jeff Maggert and 54-hole leader Tom Lehman slipped up.

But that was then and despite being a former Congressional winner Els feels no added pressure this week.

“Not at all. I think if I came in here with a lot of game, it might have been a little different,” Els said. “But coming in with not too many great performances, I’m just trying to have a really good week.

“I think, if anything, people will give me a boost this week. Already the members, when I played 10 yesterday, they were going nuts on the left side. So I think it’ll be more than a boost than anything. I need all the help I can get.”

The South African said he felt more determination this time around than he ever did in 1997 but that was not necessarily a good thing.

“It’s almost too much,” Els said. “I’ve almost got to dial it down a bit because my form so far this year has been atrocious. I want to change it as soon as possible. I think my patience level — they say when you get older, it gets better, but I don’t know; I think I’m a little different.

“That’s been part of my problem is trying to change things around and getting back to normalcy. It’s been a very weird, weird year this year so far.

“But my sense of urgency is very much there. I’m putting a lot of work into my game. I need to basically find a way of letting it happen, you know, am waiting for that week for it to happen. So maybe this week.”

There are parallels between the 27-year-old Els of 14 years ago today’s older version, as he explained.

“In 97 I didn’t come in here with a lot of form. Back then we played Avenal (venue for the Kemper Open) across the road, and I missed the cut there... so I was a little bit on shaky ground.

“But the weekend before the US Open started, I did a lot of work here at the course. I just loved what I saw. And through the practice days, I really found my game, I found my swing and found my putting stroke.

“So winning that Tour event just gave me all the belief in the world, and I went on the next week, went to Westchester, which is one of my favourite places, and from having little to no confidence to, as you say, feeling like you’re on top of the world. I went out there and I think I won that tournament by eight shots. It was a big turnaround in my year, and it just shows you what a major championship can do.”

Congressional’s changing face

CONGRESSIONAL’S Blue Course will be playing differently to the layout Ernie Els conquered in the US Open’s last visit to Maryland in 1997.

Back then, the championship concluded at a par-three but the old 18th is now playing in reverse over 218 yards as the 10th after Rees Jones switched the hole around in 2006. The final hole this week is the old 17th, a demanding 523-yard par four, down to a peninsula green for a truly great finishing hole.

“The finish was obviously very different but the rest of the course is very, very similar,” said Els. “They’ve lengthened a few holes but with technology they’re almost playing the same.”