By SCOTT HAMILTON
shamilton@beaufortgazette.com
843-986-5533
Another year, another trip from Hilton Head Island without a tartan jacket for Ernie Els.
Els' recent woes at Harbour Town Golf Links indicate a troubling pattern for a man who has had some measure of success on the Pete Dye-designed course. He averaged a 14th-place finish between 1995 and 2007 with six top-10 finishes. That includes two ties for third (2000 and 2004) and a second-place showing (2007). And yet for all of that, he has no win to show for his efforts.
And so Els scurried up the 18th fairway, reaching a greenside bunker well ahead of playing partner Tommy Gainey, and he quickly signed his card afterward. His haste could be explained as the simple need to get out of town, as he's scheduled to play in the European Tour's Ballantine's Championship later this week in Korea. But there was also a significant amount of dissatisfaction from a game Els says is actually close to being fine-tuned.
"It's so frustrating, I just cannot say how much," Els said. "It's almost to the point of being demoralizing. I am close, I promise you. I'm hitting the ball real good, not too many loose shots. It's just the game has me ... at the moment."
There were instances the past four days during which Els, 39, showed off the form that carried him to 16 PGA Tour wins, including three major championships.
He began the tournament strong, renewing the usual talk of Els as a threat to win the Heritage. When he was sharp all around -- such as on Thursday when he opened with a 3-under 68 -- Els appeared to be the man with 44 international wins.
But there was inconsistency. The rest of the tournament he struggled to cobble together an overall game. He made only 15 of 36 greens during the second and third rounds combined and he fought a balky putter that led to 30 putts in the final round.
Still, the affable Els says he's close, noting that his chipping and sand play is actually better than in years past. And he's cautious with his health, as he's careful not to hit too many balls in order to protect the knee he injured in 2005.
He'll return from Korea in time for the Players Championship, before playing the Memorial later in May and then the U.S. Open in June at Bethpage Black, hoping by then to have his game in order.
"Things just haven't been in place technically and I've been working hard to find the right feeling," Els said. "And I think I found it. If I get that going and get some confidence on the greens, I'll be up and running, I promise you."
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