They call him "The Big Easy" but Ernie Els had been feeling far from laid back until Sunday's Honda Classic triumph put the smile back on his face.
The South African, without a victory in the US for nearly four years, came from behind to win the tournament with a 3-under-par final round of 67.
The beaming Els looked a different man to the edgy character who arrived in Florida after suffering a first-round exit at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship six days ago.
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Ernie Els |
Els said recent disappointments, including letting victory slip from his grasp in Dubai, made Sunday's win taste even better.
"It has to feel sweeter, losing so many tournaments and then now one actually going my way," said the 38-year-old who said he had sorely missed the buzz that victory brings.
"I guess we get addicted to that feeling and when you don't get your rush, so to speak, you miss it. I definitely missed winning over here," he said.
Els has been working with sports psychologist Bob Rotella who shadowed him around the course on Sunday and the South African acknowledged his influence.
"He's just such a wonderful guy and he's gotten to know me a little bit better now and he basically just wants me to be Ernie Els again, to be kind of like the Big Easy again," Els said.
"I've been a little bit uptight and a little grumpy basically because I've been trying to get better and win those tournaments.
"You have either bad luck or bad play but whatever happened to you, you start getting a little uptight. So he's been trying to relax me a little," he added.
At the end of 2006, Els made a three-year plan to overtake Tiger Woods at the top of the rankings but he has since watched his American rival further cement his position as the undisputed world No 1.
"I am 38 right now, and I can quite easily go and enjoy being with my kids and go build golf courses and stuff," Els said. "But I really still want to achieve a lot in the game, and I still want to win a lot.
"I just felt that's the kind of goal for me to really strive for and practice for. So I'm not sure where I am right now, but we'll see."
(Agencies via China Daily March 4, 2008)
