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DEUTSCHE BANK - SAP OPEN TPC OF EUROPE

May 20, 2004

Ernie Els

ST. LEON-ROT, GERMANY

GORDON SIMPSON: Welcome, Ernie. 67 today, you made your score from the third onward, didn't you, today.

ERNIE ELS: Yeah, I had a bit of a rusty start this morning. I did get it to 2 under but then I bogeyed No. 18. So I turn at 1 under par, and then I birdied my 10th hole, then I bogeyed on 11 again.

So I wasn't driving it all that great. I was putting it in the rough, and the rough is very thick here in spots. But anyway, then the third hole, I made eagle. I hit really good drive there, hit a 5 iron about 45 feet past the hole and made a bomb down the hill there. That really set me on my way.

The next three holes after the eagle, I missed shortish birdie putts, but then I birdied 7 and 8. I hit a good drive on 7 and I hit an 8 iron in there to about, I would say, six feet.

And then on the eighth hole, I hit a wedge to about eight feet and holed that for birdie. All in all, I'm happy with the round, and it's a golf course that I think will get tougher as the week goes on. You've got to drive it well here, and if you miss second shots, you're going to pay the penalty. It's a well set up golf course this week.

Q. What happened to Justin on the first? I saw the drive and that was okay.

ERNIE ELS: He hit a beautiful drive, and the wind was coming a little off to the right. And I think what he wanted to do, he had enough club to get there with a 3 wood, I think he just wanted to kind of hold it up to the breeze and he overcooked it. The first one, I could hear it hit the road, over the road out of bounds. His next two were in almost the same spot. We found his second ball, his third ball went into the bunker, so he could get a drop with his second. But still, he had to come out of the trees and he put it on the green and made 8.

Yeah, he looked good, he played well the front nine, turned at 2 under; it was just one shot that really changed his round.

Q. Did you expect to be a bit rusty?

ERNIE ELS: Well, you know I'm saying that because I'm looking at the leader board and I'm seeing Trevor at 5 under, so I'm thinking I'm doing something wrong here, 2 under through seven and I'm already three behind.

But to be honest, I did miss a couple of shots, and I didn't quite play the way I wanted to play. And especially on the ninth hole, I made bogey there. Didn't feel good. I wanted to cut it, and I pulled it, not a good combination.

Q. You said you missed a couple of shortish putts after that eagle, was that like what you were talking about yesterday, not quite as confident, has that taken the edge off your game?

ERNIE ELS: I've been working with Jos this week again, and what I've been trying to do this week is I'm just going to try and hit the best putt I can and not try and hit the perfect putt. That's what I've been doing, I think, and that's when you get frustrated. I'm just going to try to hit the best putt I can. If it goes in this week, great. If it doesn't, just move on. I have to get a different attitude, a different mind set on my putting, otherwise, it's going to start driving me crazy.

Q. Have you ever used one of those belly putters?

ERNIE ELS: No.

Q. And is it because

ERNIE ELS: It should be banned.

Q. Are you joking?

ERNIE ELS: No, definitely.

Q. Why?

ERNIE ELS: Because here we go (Laughter.). I think they should be banned. I think nerves and the skill of putting is part of the game, and especially when they have these long putters and I get drops in those long putters I think nerves is part of the game. You know, take a tablet if you can't handle it.

GORDON SIMPSON: Do you find it unusual that Trevor went to the belly putter, when he didn't have a real problem; he said today he had no yips or anything like that.

ERNIE ELS: Well, I don't think that's the case anymore. I think it's becoming such an easy, easier way to putt. You actually push it into your body and then you can make kind of a perfect stroke where your hands. You're not always going to be in the perfect position. I think physically or scientifically, you put it up against your body, and it's resting against something. You're going to have if you put a pencil at the end of your putter, you're going to almost come back on the same angle every time. That's why I say they should ban it.

Q. Nonetheless, he's a good, young player. Could you tell me why he's such a good, young player and what you like about the way he plays?

ERNIE ELS: I think he's mentally ready always to play. I think he's been a little hard on himself over there in the States; he's been trying a little too hard there. I think he's got the perfect game to play there.

So mentally, he's pretty solid. He's been working on his game and the technical side of his game with Claude Harmon. You know, when he drives it in play, he's going to play really well. He hits his irons well, and his strong points, obviously, his putting and his short game. So all around, he's solid.

Q. Have you ever had a long putter in your hands?

ERNIE ELS: No.

Q. On principal, you wouldn't?

ERNIE ELS: No. I've seen Vijay, Vijay is a good friend of mine, we play a lot of practice round together. This thing is just I wouldn't say never, but it just doesn't feel right to me. I think it's the perfect stroke

Q. Gives you the proper stroke at the ball?

ERNIE ELS: Well, you know, we can have an argument there because I feel you make you'll make more you'll make a more often better stroke with that club than you'll do with a putter. Because that's just what I said, it's braced here and you just move it with your bottom hand.

Q. What I'm trying to say I think

ERNIE ELS: And the proper stroke, I'm not sure what you're classifying as stroke

Q. It's the pendulum swing, you can do it on its own; you can just draw it back and let it go.

ERNIE ELS: Yeah.

Q. Have you given up hope that it will ever be banned in your playing career?

ERNIE ELS: No, I don't think so. I think the guys are looking at it. I think Peter Dawson at the R&A is looking at it and the USGA is looking at it.

Q. When you said that you can't to terms with the fact that you should not try to hit the perfect putt, don't try to hit the perfect putt, what then is the perfect putt in your mind? Is it a strike of the ball?

ERNIE ELS: Yeah, that's what I'm working on, exactly. Just trying to make not the perfect I'm trying to strike the ball. Trying to go to the other way; instead of trying to make the perfect putt, let's stride and stroke it as good as I can. So the stroke off the blade has got to be perfect every time. That's what I'm trying to do.

End of FastScripts.

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