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THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

May 12, 2016

Ernie Els

Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida

ERNIE ELS: I mean, I just said to the people back there, I mean, I haven't treated this course very well, and it hasn't treated me very well in the past. You know, on a day like this, the course is in unbelievable shape. The greens are great. The fairways are good. So it's been -- that's really been nice because we've come here in the last five, six years and it's been pretty bad.

So playing practice rounds, got a little bit more excited about it, and obviously working on my swing with Lead again. We worked a bit on Tuesday and yesterday evening. The body feels good, touch wood. I can get into the same positions that I've got into in my prime. I guess I couldn't quite do that for a while now, but I've felt good. We worked on those kind of things, getting into those same positions, and it felt comfortable today, swing and putter.

Q. Did you like the golf course the first time you played it?
ERNIE ELS: Yeah, you know what, I've got a love-hate relationship with Pete Dye. Me and Pete, we love each other sometimes, and I hate him sometimes (laughter).

And at this course, yeah, this course has had its way with me. Nice to get one up on the course, and the conditions were great. But yeah, I loved it from the first time I played it, to be honest with you. But you've got to play it properly. You can't just go out there and give it a go. I tried it on like two holes and I didn't quite get into position and it cost me a bit. Yeah, the relationship, we'll see how it continues.

Q. The bogey on 1, what did you hit in there?
ERNIE ELS: On 2, I hit driver and I hit 4-iron. I hit a good drive. I had 205 front. I think the flag is on 17 today, so yeah, 220 shot. But that was really -- I hit a lot of quality shots today for a change, but I really enjoyed it. Every time you make a 3 on a 5, it's a huge bonus. But I bogeyed a soft one on the first, got it out of position, and I had one of those awkward lies, and to make bogey on 1 today is really giving up a lot of ground.

Q. Are you happy more with the way you hit it or with your putting?
ERNIE ELS: I think a bit of everything. The short game was good, but I felt like I hit a lot of fairways for me, and gave myself some chances, especially early on on the front nine, and I made some putts. Really, I made a putt on my very first hole from I guess 20 feet, and I made a few good putts. On 15, my sixth hole, I made at least a 30-footer there. It feels really good. You know, feeling good.

That's what a 66 does to you.

Q. You've come a long way since --
ERNIE ELS: Since Augusta? Yeah, yeah. I mean, that was obviously -- you want to forget about it as soon as you can. But it is what it is. But I feel comfortable, and I've been working hard since then on things that I have been doing, if it holds up. I feel good.

Q. The change that you made early that week at Augusta you said was a mistake. Have you tried to go back to that?
ERNIE ELS: No, no, no, we've gone away from that, definitely.

Q. So you're just doing what you --
ERNIE ELS: Yeah. You know, everybody -- I mean, a lot of people want to help you and get you better and so on. It's like a clichÃ©. You ask all these guys, if I just did what I thought I should do, I'd be better off. But sometimes you listen, and it's just -- and it wasn't like the guy was trying to harm me. He's trying to get me better. It just didn't work for me, and I unfortunately tried it on the world's biggest stage. It kind of is what it is.

Q. Did it help that Aaron was going along so well today?
ERNIE ELS: Yeah, it was nice playing with Aaron again. Yeah, he played nice. He made some birdies. He unfortunately bogeyed a couple coming in, but playing good hopefully, and kept momentum. Yeah, all was good in the group, especially on Thursday and Friday. You don't want that on Saturday and Sunday.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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