MCI CLASSIC

April 15, 2000

Ernie Els

ERNIE ELS: I started with a birdie. I birdied the 2nd hole and gave it straight back on the next hole. I missed a little 3-footer on the next hole, and then I birdied 4 and 5. I had hit a really good putt on 4 to really get me going, and I birdied 8 and 9. So I played a very, very good front nine, and played very solid the back nine. I got it up-and-down some holes, but I was missing birdie putts. So all in all, it was a pretty good round. I got myself in position for tomorrow, and kind of felt I had to shoot the score I did today to have a chance. A little surprised I've got a two-shot lead, but hey, I'll take it.

ERNIE ELS: No, not at all. You know, I don't think I had a big lead. I think it was only three the whole afternoon on the back nine. You know, you're not really thinking about taking a lead in the third round. There's a lot of golf to be played. Today, again, you know, golf showed how crazy it can be. You know, I birdied 8, Davis bogeyed 8, and I got a two-shot lead. And I birdied 9 and he bogeyed 9 again. So it was four shots in two holes. You know, this golf course can do it to you. You've just got to keep on plugging away and hit fairways and hit greens and try and make birdies. It's like there is no real lead out there, you know, until the back nine.

ERNIE ELS: Yeah, I think so. I've always felt that I've been quite close, even at The PLAYERS Championship. Although I shot a 75 in the final round there to finish 20th, I felt like things were coming around. And I worked with David Leadbetter the week before at Augusta on a couple of things, and obviously, the last round at Augusta, I thought everything really fell into place there, except for my putting. And I kind of brought it here this week. So I'm trying to enjoy it, I'm trying to play hard, and I'm trying to stay focused. So everything goes according to plan, good; but it's still early in the year. There's still a lot of golf to be played.

ERNIE ELS: Just a couple of things. Not really big swing changes or anything like that. It was just alignment, got out of sync a little bit, my ball position. And if those basic fundamentals get out of whack, you know, you can do some bad things in your swing, and that's kind of what happened. Just got to keep everything more in line, get more comfortable over the ball.

ERNIE ELS: You know, it's not -- I don't want to say -- I see him quite often anyway, and I practice there at the golf course quite a lot. You know, we started talking a little bit, and, you know, started working with him. I asked him a couple of things, and he helped me out. You know, I'm keeping my options open.

ERNIE ELS: It wasn't one of the local guys on Tour -- that is, it wasn't one of the regular guys on the Tour. He obviously hasn't been on the golf course too often in his life. You know, he just snapped way too quick. I was over the putt, and he was taking pictures, and I should have backed away. But, I mean, as professional players, we are not used to that because the guys, there are regulars on Tour. They know what they are doing. That never happens with them. So I kind of knew it wasn't the regular guys. It had to be a guy that doesn't really follow golf very often. But he got me, and I just totally --.

ERNIE ELS: I was -- it was kind of when I was over the ball, he was clicking, and even as I was hitting the putt, he was still going. The guy was -- I don't know where he comes from. On Tour, I don't know why we -- there are guys like that on Tour, because that just -- I can't really be angry at the guy, either, because he just doesn't know. I mean, it's a good thing it happened on 3, because he would have done it all the way around probably if I didn't catch him there.

ERNIE ELS: No, no, no.

ERNIE ELS: I just kind of coached him through it a little bit, you know (Laughter.). I said to him, you know, you have to take a picture after I've played the shot, you know. So I kind of just -- I was just honest with him, and he was honest with me. He said, you know, "I'm sorry. I mis-timed it." I said: "I know you did." (Laughter.) And he just didn't know.

ERNIE ELS: It was on 3.

ERNIE ELS: Yeah, it was a little three-foot.

ERNIE ELS: Yeah, I saw him around a little later on again. He was better then.

ERNIE ELS: Well, it tells you that the golf course is there to be taken. I knew the course was going to be a lot softer and without hitting greens, the guys are pretty good out there. They are going to shoot low. I knew the conditions would be good. But it puts a little added pressure on you. You know you've got to go out there and perform. And the third day in a tournament is normally the moving day. And especially on a beautiful day like today. Scoring average must have come down to about 69 today. It puts a little added pressure on you, but at least you know conditions are perfect for scoring.

ERNIE ELS: No. He just hit a bad chip shot on 8; and, you know, he pulled his tee shot on 9 a little bit. And that's, you know, a tough hole when you're not in position. Just tried to get maybe too much out of the second shot and made bogey there. I mean, this golf course can do that to you. You just lose a little bit of focus and, you know, you can make some bogeys. That's the only three holes he's played bad in the whole tournament so far. I've played with him three days, and I came back strong in the end.

ERNIE ELS: Yeah. I felt like that on the back nine. I felt like you've got to -- just keep on hitting fairways and greens, and just let the birdies come on their own. If you keep trying to push yourself -- I tried to push it a little bit, felt really comfortable out there. So I tried to make some putts, and I just -- you know, I got it close on a couple of times, but not close enough. 18, especially, with a 7-iron, and I missed the green. Good putt on 16 and 15. But, you know, when you're ahead, they have got to come out and get you. So I was trying to play solid golf, and I was starting to push it a little bit.

ERNIE ELS: 4, I hit a 5-iron to about 25 feet behind the hole. 5, driver and 3-wood just through the green. Pitched it to about eight feet; made that. On 8, I hit driver and 4-iron. That was a long putt, about 35, 40 feet down the hill. 9 was 3-iron, and a 9-iron to about 15 feet.

ERNIE ELS: You know, the way Tiger played was -- or the way he's playing, he's been playing like this for a long time. And it just seems like when he plays, he wins. It kind of makes people think it's easy to win out here on Tour. I guess when you're on such a high with so much talent like Tiger has, that winning becomes a habit. When you haven't won like me, for almost a year now on this Tour, it feels like you've got to work a little harder to get back there. You know, I've felt like that for quite some time. And as I've said before, you know, I've felt that my game is a lot closer than it seems. Previous weeks, I've kind of gone my own way -- like at TPC I was right there, but in that final round, even at Doral and so on. But that's just the way it is, when your confidence is low at times, you try a little harder and things don't quite happen all that easily. So I knew that -- I knew I could get myself out of it with just a lot of hard work. And I've put the work in, so I guess it's time for it to pay off.

ERNIE ELS: No. I don't see any reason why. You know, you've got to do your own thing. You've got to try and hit the shots, play the shots, and play your own game.

ERNIE ELS: Yeah. He made that great par on 11. I think it made him feel a lot better. He got an awful break there, but he made a great par on 11. And then he played solid coming in. So he almost holed the last two shots, 17 and 18, so he's probably going to shoot the a low one tomorrow. So I would watch him.