THE MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT

May 31, 1996

Ernie Els

ERNIE ELS: I would say Wayne. He hits it solid -- I mean, he can hit it up there with the longest in the world. This is a good golf course for him.

ERNIE ELS: I had really nice day. I played well. I hit the ball nice, and if I could have made a couple of putts coming in, could have been a little better even, but one of my better rounds of the year. I had a good start on the first hole. I hit a driver and 5-iron to about 8 feet and made that for birdie. I gave it back on the next. I pulled my driver left and hit it to the front edge of the green and 3-putted from there. Then I started really hitting it nice. On 4 I hit a 5-iron to about eight feet, made that for birdie. And fourth I hit the far 5. I hit a drive and 3-wood about 20 feet behind the hole and 2-putted for birdie there. 7th hole I birdied, hit it in the green-side bunker and didn't hit very good bunker shot out there. Made about 25 footer for birdie there. Bogeyed the next well. Pulled my tee shot left of the green and birdied 9 again 3-wood and 7-iron to about 18 feet. Made it. 11th hole I hit a driver and 3-wood to about 25 feet and 2-putted for birdie and 16 I hit a 4-iron to about 18 feet and made that for birdie. I hit it close a lot of times today but I didn't make any putts so I am happy, but it could have been better.

ERNIE ELS: I hit it pin high just right of the hole. About eight feet right of the hole.

ERNIE ELS: A club more. You are going up the hill and there is a bit of a breeze into us. Kenny Perry was right next to me and he hit 7-iron short and I went with a 6-iron.

ERNIE ELS: Well, I 3-putted the second. I missed about a 6-footer there. The third hole I missed 10-footer that is makeable. Let us check, number 14, I missed it from about eight feet there. 17, six feet and 18, ten feet. Greens are really beautiful. Hit it through the break every time except 18 when I hit a very poor putt.

ERNIE ELS: No, I think I am probably pushing myself as hard as last year. Last year I took a week before off before the Open and I like to play Westchester. Westchester is one of my favorite golf courses and last year it was a couple of weeks before the Open and this year, obviously, it is before the Open. I am going to play it again, so I think that is a good week for me to play leading into the Open. I think I am going to play tournaments leading into all of the Majors this year, trying to get my game together, get some confidence going, whatever and be competitive before the Majors, I think that is important. Some guys like to take a week off or two before Majors to be fresh - they like to be fresh or to work on their games, but it seems like if I play golf competitive golf before a big event I play better.

ERNIE ELS: Looks like I will play the Scottish Open. I am playing Irish Open; then I might play the Scottish.

ERNIE ELS: Yeah.

ERNIE ELS: Yeah, I think it will make it more special. I think this is one of the best events on the Tour by far. I mean, facility, everything, I mean, it is up there with the TPC tournament. The golf course is always in great shape. I mean, probably the best condition golf course we play all year-round. With Jack around, it makes it a little bit more special. Sure, he is the greatest player ever and there won't be another Nicklaus. I don't know why everybody is asking this question. There won't be another Nicklaus and I mean, he is the best player in the world.

ERNIE ELS: I heard about national hero, but I am pretty popular. It's a small country.

ERNIE ELS: He is big. He is really big. He has been winning tournaments down there almost ten years now. Hits the ball a long way. Always play plays well down there, really big draw for the Tour. He is probably number 3 in South Africa.

ERNIE ELS: Let me think. Yeah, probably down in South African actually, no. Not really. When he played well, I didn't play so well - it seems like.

ERNIE ELS: No. I won the South African Open in January this year, World Match Play. Yeah, that is about it.

ERNIE ELS: On this Tour, I don't know. I have been all comfortable with everything. I have played most of these golf courses a couple of times, so you know, I guess I should blame myself. I haven't been that sharp this year; probably haven't been very focused, I don't know why. I can't give you an explanation, but you know, hopefully, I can start playing better now. I feel I am working on something in my swing that is starting to work, you know, it is starting to, maybe, benefit my golf swing. That is probably a positive sign for me. My short game, I have been working on my game pretty hard this year, so it has been quite surprising for me not to have played a lot better.

ERNIE ELS: No, I think somebody probably could come close to his record, reasonably close. I can't see anybody winning, I mean, 19 majors, 18 Majors?

ERNIE ELS: Yeah, and also the outside stuff around. A lot of money at steak nowadays, and you win one major and you can make a lot of money off that, that could maybe take away a bit of that fire or whatever you want to call it. I definitely think somebody will win a couple again. I mean, look at Nick Price, I mean, for two or three years, he really played the best golf in the world by far. He won three Majors and it took a lot out of him. All of a sudden, can afford to buy a jet and there is a lot of money at steak; not only in America. You can play in Japan. You can play in the east; start building golf courses and I mean, you can really go a long way and that is probably it.

ERNIE ELS: I don't think to such an extent really, letting my practicing go or time away from my golf. I must say, it was quite a learning experience for me after winning the U.S. Open. I was never used to all the attention or whatever you want to call it. I had to get used to it. It was a learning curve for me and I really played well with all the attention. I won five or six times in 1994 and I think what really maybe got to me was last year at the Riviera PGA where I felt that I had the tournament and I let it slip away from me and that was kind of hard to take.

WES SEELEY: Anything else for Ernie?

ERNIE ELS: I still think about it. You know, you get -- I know you get so many chances winning major championships and when you have a chance like that having a 3 shot lead the way I had and playing the way I did, I mean, I was way under 70 every round and I let it slip away. It made me think a little bit, you know. You think back and say, geez, I shouldn't have missed that putt. Why did I miss my 7-iron left of the green on the short hole and why did I do this? So you think about it for a while and it is not like that (SNAPS FINGERS) and it is out of your mind. I thought it would be easier.

ERNIE ELS: You get faults in your swing especially when you play as many tournaments as I am playing. I am playing 30 something tournaments a year and it is hard to keep your swing the same all the time. Like we played at Colonial couple of weeks ago and I hacked it around in the wind and I didn't enjoy it. My swing playing was getting really flat. I had to work on it last week; put it on video and could see I was way down there. So probably a couple of things can get into your golf swing where you have to work on it all the time.

ERNIE ELS: No, not at all. When I play well, I just don't think of anything. I just go. Until I make a score and that is the way I was playing the PGA 'til Steve made some birdies the front 9 and I had to start pushing myself and it didn't happen for me.

ERNIE ELS: No, no. That was a very nice compliment, I think. I don't take it too seriously.