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HYUNDAI TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS

January 7, 2011

Ernie Els

KAPALUA, HAWAII

DOUG MILNE: Ernie, thanks for joining us for a few minutes after a very successful, to say the least, second round here at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions where you won in 2003. 9-under 64 today, nine birdies, no bogeys. Obviously you have to be pleased are you're heading into the weekend.
ERNIE ELS: Well, I needed something like that to get me closer to the leaders. I don't think I'll be leading after today, but at least got me back into the pack.
Yeah, you know, I've been hitting the ball really nicely. I had a bit of a nervy start to my season yesterday, first two holes. And today -- I kind of hit a lot of putts last night on the putting green trying to figure out -- trying to get the same feel I had when I won the South African Open. And today was obviously better.
So I would like to keep holding on that; and depending on the weather, if the wind blows, to shoot even par is a good score; if it's like this, you have to shoot 64. We'll take it as it comes but really pleased with today.
DOUG MILNE: You've enjoyed tremendous success in conditions in the wind in 2003, and you've had six Top 10 finishes in eight starts. What is it about this course that suits your game?
ERNIE ELS: Just the place, man. It's just the best place in the world. You come here, first week of the year, just incredible place. It gives me a lot of room off the tee. Obviously I love that. You know, I'm not too afraid of playing in the wind. I love actually playing in the wind and I think the way the golf course was designed, they did a great job with the tradewinds in mind and the slope of the land.
So I just feel it's a fun week, great week. Always enjoyed bringing my family here. So very nice to start here.

Q. You mentioned the time you spent on the putting green yesterday, and you mentioned getting that feeling back; was there a technical issue, as well?
ERNIE ELS: As you know, it's well-documented, If I can get the putting back to where my long game is, I'm going to have good seasons.
At least I started holing some putts at the South African Open on ridiculously terrible greens. The greens were worse than these fairways. To shoot 25-under par on greens like that, you know, I thought that was quite nice. I've just got to do it on perfect greens like we have here.
So I get a little tentative every now and again on the short ones and I'm trying to work myself through it, just trying to get comfortable on a certain technique. Yesterday my ball position was too far back in my putting stance and I was shoving them a little bit and I have to try and release the putter.
So I just went back to get this feeling that I'm supposed to have I guess, and kind of worked today.

Q. Wanted to ask you about two shots today. One, the 3-wood on 15, and B, the exchange you had with Rocco after 17.
ERNIE ELS: That was really fun playing with Rocco. I mean, what a character. He should be a stand-up somewhere in the world. He's unbelievable.
I was disappointed not to play with Camilo, but when Rocco stepped in, I knew it was going to be a good day. 15 was the start of my day, really tight flag on the left. You pull it left, there's a lot of weeds on the left, and I had to really step on a 3-wood. I hit it dead straight, just perfect, about 25 feet behind the hole.
And now on 17, it's funny, it was about the fifth putt that I was almost on the same line as Rocco, just inside his ball. He gave me quite a few nice reads today. When I made that putt, it was all over. You can imagine what Rocco -- I'm supposed to buy him beers right now. (Laughter).
It was nice to make. That was a bonus. I was just trying to make four there.

Q. Why did you back off -- when you're over your ball.
ERNIE ELS: I was thinking maybe 5-wood. Because it was a 5-wood yardage. And I felt like the wind turned it around and went with a 3-wood, which was the right choice.

Q. Were there any 2003 flashbacks today? Did it feel like you were out there like it was that year?
ERNIE ELS: Well, you know, that's one year I'll never forget. That was a very special week. It's always special coming over here but it was really special to go 31-under par and chipping and putting and holing shots. Yeah, I always like to get that feeling back. If I play like this for the next two rounds, maybe, you know, you get close to that score.
But no, always try and have that feeling of positive feelings here this week.

Q. Not to kill that, but I was curious about one thing, with as many rounds and as many memories as you've had here, some great and not so great, when you stand on a certain tee or get over certain shots and you have a mixture of good and bad, where does your head go?
ERNIE ELS: It's a good question. That's a secret I guess. You know, when I come to a venue where you've been quite a few times and as you say you've hit great shots and bad shots; you can't help your mind just wandering off into the negative. The challenge is to get it back to where you should be going.
Almost on every hole I've hit a really good one and a really bad one (laughing). They say experience is good. It's for the most part very good, but it can also be a negative. That is the challenge here, to keep positive.

Q. Does it benefit you going over what you've done in the round with the media afterwards, how you played the round? Does this whole process benefit your mental game? Does it help you?
ERNIE ELS: That's a new one. (Laughter).
I love you guys. (Laughter) For the most part.
But in a way, it's kind of -- when you've had a round like this, it's nice to reflect on it and thinking about mostly positives. I must say, it is very difficult; I'm quite hard on myself and my game. You guys don't see me when I don't want to talk after the tournament.
It was actually a good question you ask. You try and take the positive out of a lot of things and I just try and be honest. But to be honest with you, I'm not going to think about it too much, what I'm saying to you right now. Tomorrow is another round, and then I've got to be ready for Sunday.

Q. I have a second question if you don't mind?
ERNIE ELS: Sure.

Q. I'm curious, what do you think of fans watching on television calling in rule violations?
ERNIE ELS: Well, they have opinion doing it for a very long time. Obviously golf fans, golfers who are golf fans, they know the rules. A lot of them know the rules. You know, I would love for them to do it before we sign our cards. You know, sometimes we do -- I guess we do things and you may not know the rule or something.
For the most part, I think we abide by the rules. I would say -- not most, but I think always. I think it was an unfortunate incident with Camilo. I guess they did the right thing, because if he shot 63, and say he wins the tournament, and they go back to the tape and look at it, there will be a big story.
So if they could do it before we sign our card, that would be great. It could be something, so I guess it's the right thing.

Q. Those years you haven't been able to come here, do you watch?
ERNIE ELS: I like not to watch, because I like to be here so much. So when I'm not here, and the time change is so that I'm either barbecuing for the family or we are still on the beach in South Africa, so I don't get to watch it in any case. I love to be here, and if I'm not here, I don't really take much notice.

Q. What would be the pros and cons of any penalty assessed if it was found out before the close of competition; what would be right with that and what would be wrong with it?
ERNIE ELS: I guess if you look at sport, television replays now in NFL and even tennis, you can challenge a call. I'm a sports fan, so when I see -- I mean, golf, we police ourselves. Every player out there, I promise you, not one player wants to break a rule. That just doesn't happen. If the player finds that he's done something, we go back and you either penalize yourself or you disqualify yourself, basically.
So it is a tough one. If Camilo did something wrong -- I'm not even sure what he did there, and if it's a rules violation, I guess, you know, it should be dealt with. It's going to be a debate: Should there be a deadline? If you sign your card, it's done, you can't do anything about it. And if somebody wants to call in, you've got to do it before we are done playing. You know what I mean? Maybe we should have some kind of a rule like that. I'm not sure how we are going to cope with that one. But it's going to be a tough one.
And then again, as I say, if you break a rule, you should pay the penalty, too.

Q. Following up on that, everything that happens in these situations all hinges on the fact that they sign the correct scorecard when the penalty is assessed afterwards, so couldn't it just as easily be fixed with that one stipulation?
ERNIE ELS: Maybe, yeah. Maybe that should be -- if you sign your card and somebody sees something in South Africa after we have already played and they have showed it there and the guy goes, yeah, I've seen a rules violation and calls it in and after he signs his card, maybe because of that there should be a little thing in our rule book that says, okay, even though he's signed his card, because of this call after the fact, he gets a two-shot penalty instead of being disqualified.

Q. So the severity of the penalty hinges on the incorrect scorecard, not the actual penalty?
ERNIE ELS: Exactly. If he signs an incorrect scorecard, but he should have a two-shot penalty -- maybe they should reverse it a little bit.

Q. Has that ever happened to you?
ERNIE ELS: I've had penalties, yeah.

Q. Sure; where it cost you a disqualification.
ERNIE ELS: Touch wood, no. (laughter)

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