No so easy for Els as Clarke leads

Most golfers only dream of scoring 67 – but to Ernie Els it was pure frustration at Loch Lomond today.

On the eve of a British Open championship he is so looking forward to – he won an amateur event at Hoylake back in 1988 – Els was bitterly disappointed not to be more closely involved in the pursuit of leader Darren Clarke.

Three ahead overnight, Clare went to the turn in a one-under 35, but at that point led by only two from Dane Thomas Bjorn and Argentina’s Andres Romero.

Els was five behind on seven under, but after a round where chance after chance went begging he said: “That’s the way I’ve been playing – and the way I’ve been scoring. The positive is that I’m moving in the right direction. The negative is that 67 should have been 62. Make your own conclusion there.”

Asked if the frustration was growing he stated: “You can see that. I am a competitor and I am not going to lie to you. I want to win when I play.

“It gets to you. But I’ve just got to keep going. It sounds crazy, but I’ve got to keep going and hopefully it happens.”

The South African, without a win this year and down to eighth in the world from second before his sailing accident and subsequent knee surgery last season, was on the leaderboard when he went to the turn in a five-under 31.

Even that could have been better, though, and he had to try to keep a lid on his temper when he bogeyed the short 11th and then was plugged in a greenside bunker at the long 11th, failed to get out first time and took six.

A birdie on the next helped, but he was only in a tie for 10th when he felt he had hit the ball well enough to be a lot higher.

Clarke pitched to six feet on the fourth and holed from slightly longer at the par-five sixth, but with the distraction of a jet-skier having his own fun in the loch alongside the hole he bogeyed the next.

Romero – no relation to former winner Eduardo – went to the turn in 32 and remained 10 under with six to play, while Bjorn, whose first tour success came on the course 10 years ago, followed a front-nine 33 with birdies at the 11th and 13th.

One shot further back in fourth were England’s Benn Barham after a 65, Scot David Drysdale and Irishman Damien McGrane. Colin Montgomerie’s 69 left him six under.