Ernie Els Quotations

Mondays are a good day to make statements, not Friday.

Grip pressure - not mechanical flaws - is the biggest factor when you're nervous. You unconsciously grip it tighter, which keeps you from making a smooth swing with a natural release. Keep your grip pressure light, and you'll be surprised how much your mechanics stabilize.

Before you take your address, while you're still reading the putt, imagine the ball tracking on the line you've chosen and falling into the cup. If you don't believe you can make every putt, why bother trying?

For all the fun, don't forget: I always knew when to put my golf balls down and practice.

Because of the grass and open face, I take one more club for shots from the rough, unless the ball is sitting on top of dry grass. Then, I use more loft and swing softer, trying to hit it about 70 percent to avoid a flyer over the green.

Something I've really enjoyed learning more about is course design.

When you're hitting a fairway wood, you've got a lot of real estate to cover to get to your target. Your first instinct is probably to give it a little more power because you're worried about coming up short.

Contours on the second half of a long putt have more impact on how the ball rolls because it's going slower. Adjust your speed if that last part is playing uphill or downhill. Don't get fooled by an early slope or break.

Check the card before you play. If you have a couple of long par 3s, put an extra hybrid in your bag. You'll be glad you did.

I have to believe that if I keep doing what I'm doing, the results will reflect that, and I'll give myself plenty more opportunities to win.

I've got my life. I'm very serious about my business. I've got my family. And I've got my game.

If you can hit your 3- and 5-woods with confidence from the fairway, par 5s become birdie opportunities, and 420-yard par 4s are a lot less scary.

Playing from deep grass is a fact of life in professional golf.

Swinging harder with a longer club almost always leads to bad shots.

There's so much more to life than golf. Family is always first.

You have to know how to read your lie and take a calculated risk when you hit out of the rough.

Ball position is everything in iron play. If you aren't careful about it, you can create some major problems in your game just by getting an inch or two off.

It is just a crazy life as a sportsman. My daughter, Sam, wants to go into tennis, and I tell her, 'No, you don't want to go into professional sport.'

Some players like to change clubs around the green to hit high or low shots. I play all of my short-game shots with my 54-degree sand wedge and change my ball position to hit it higher or lower. I think it's easier to learn one club than four.

When I'm swinging the club at my best, it's because I'm not thinking about mechanics at all. I feel like my body is loose. My arms are soft in front of me when I'm setting up, and my chest and shoulders feel as if they can move and turn easily.

For the average player, most three-putts happen because of a poorly judged first putt from long range.

I never thought I'd be comfortable living outside South Africa, but we love London. Our two kids were born here.

During a tournament, I'm not thinking about mechanics at all. I'm in scoring mode.

I prefer old-world wines like Lafite Rothschild and Margaux.

Throughout my career, I've been sponsored by several different equipment companies - Lynx, Titleist, Callaway.

Unless it's a dead-straight short putt, you should focus on a spot somewhere along the line you want to roll the ball on.

Where they're tucking the flags, you can really look silly...you've got to maybe play a little bit more safe at some holes and I think I'll remember that for tomorrow's round. But I've got to be happy with that start.

Where it used to be kind of the most fun of all the majors, it's becoming the hardest one now. Over four days of competition, it's going to narrow the field dramatically. You will be doing good to break par on the back nine.

You don't learn how to play in the rain. You learn to be organized with your bag. I didn't play much in the rain until I went to Europe.

Yesterday I said it would be difficult and it showed today,

When I got to my ball, I was like, what's going on? I've never seen that happen. I was very happy to make a 4.

Make a conscious effort to loosen your hands and let your arms feel soft when you're at address. Take the club back a bit shorter, and feel as if you're cracking a whip on the way down - not tensing up to smash something hard.

One of my tendencies is to let the ball drift too far forward in my stance, and it's something I've been working on with David Leadbetter.

My dad told me that Seve said, You know, I tried very hard today. I played very well today. But, your son. Very special.' You can imagine my dad sitting there with tears in his eyes.

Obviously the timing is unfortunate. Although let's face it, there's no such thing as a good time to get injured. But what can you do? There's no point dwelling on your bad luck, or whatever. All I'm doing is focusing on getting better as quickly as possible, so I'm out of action for not a day longer than I have to be.

Obviously, the timing is unfortunate. Although let's face it, there's no such thing as a good time to get injured. But what can you do? I'm not dwelling on my bad luck. All I have to do now is focus on getting better, so I'm out of action for not a day longer than I have to be.

Obviously, I've played some good tournaments in U.S. Opens. And that's the way I want to play this week. You know, not hammer your driver out there.

Right before I start the putter back, I think about making solid contact. This brings your attention to the back of the ball and helps keep your head still at impact, which is a must. Many amateurs take a peek down the line too soon, and that can cause all sorts of mis-hits.

No. 11 is almost playing like a par-5. In years past, when you came in with 7-irons, you were more aggressive. With a 4-iron, you're not that aggressive.

I was five under on that hole for the week with an eagle and three birdies. But there you go. This was strongest field in the world this year...and to almost win is fine.

I wish we could have played 18 holes in these conditions.

I worked really hard on my long game the last two week, especially last week. I'm working on a bit of a flatter plane through the ball. I got a little bit steep on the ball so I'm trying to flatten it out a little bit through the hitting area.

If we can have the weather like this, it will be great. It is definitely a factor,

I have had knee injuries before at school in rugby, and I have broken fingers and stuff like that. I have had little injuries, but never anything like that, keeping me away from what I love doing for such a long time.

I have got things in place a lot better than I had them in the past. I would say that's different. I've got clear goals again and I'm looking forward to playing. I've got some energy again.

I did see the changes, obviously, and they are quite major.

I'd like to win the Masters and the PGA and complete the career Grand Slam.

Brushing up on your short game at the practice area is fine and good, but taking it with you to the golf course - when your score is really on the line - is another story.

Basically, it takes the best player who's on form to win this tournament. The conditions here, maybe, make more difference than at a lot of places. When it gets a little firmer, the second shots become probably the toughest on Tour because the greens are very small and there's only certain areas where you can go with your second shots. In that regard, it doesn't matter longer or shorter hitter. Accuracy is at a premium.

Basically it's the only sensible course of action, so that I can be sure of the promptest recovery period.

I love coming here when I get the chance,

I feel that to bogey a par five is a huge sin. But after making mistakes I came back well and that kind of sums up the whole day.

I finished second six times to him that year,

Freddie was coming on then, and I saw Tiger was coming on then, and the whole field was kind of scoring at that stage and I was kind of stalling, ... It was getting to me a little bit.

From a good lie in the middle of a fairway bunker, I'll make the same swing as I do from an average fairway lie. I'll dig my feet in slightly and keep my lower body stable so I won't slip, but I don't change my club selection or setup. It's only when the ball is sitting down in the sand that I'll make some modifications.

From the rough, I'd use a 6-iron, play the ball back an inch or two and swing down on a steeper angle to catch the ball first. It also helps to aim slightly left and open the clubface at address. You'll get more height on the shot, and the club will cut through the grass more easily.

Today I was a bit more determined not to let it get to me too much, and I played a good back nine.

He's a great champion. I love picking his brain about what he was thinking when he was winning all those tournaments.

He's a full notch behind Vijay. He's not even on the same rung. There's no major that rattles you like the U.S. Open. Last year's Open probably took a month to get over that. It's not like the Masters, where the conditions are generally the same. At the Open, they're probably already rattled going in.

He's almost like a golfing machine. He never seems to get tired of the game. And he's gone up a level this year.

I actually feel pretty nervous about playing again, ... I've spoken to a few guys who had a similar experience to me, with not being able to play because of injury. They all said the same thing. When you come back, there's that extra element of the unknown, which we're not used to. But nerves aren't a bad thing.

I almost never hit a shot all out, and I make a conscious effort to swing my long clubs just as I do my wedges. Keep this in mind when hitting your fairway woods.

He just makes this place better every year. The golf course keeps improving, the quality of the way they present the golf course gets better all the time, and I think this year is no different. It's just great playing on a golf course like this. He runs a great show.

He just goes out and goes about his business. So I think Phil, almost more than Tiger, has got more Masters in him, maybe.

He knows his swing. If he really feels he needs Butch, he'll probably call him.

I wouldn't say I missed it, I did not miss it for a good three months. I guess subconsciously I knew I was out. I was going to be out for a long time. I think I just wanted to shut myself off. Not watch it or read about it or anything like that and concentrate on other things in my life.

I was a little anxious out there, but I played OK.

I think we just hold back and see where it goes, see how we play the game on this new Augusta National.

I will be ready for the Masters next time around and had I not got a virus just before Augusta, this year I would have been ready. I don't know if it was all the traveling that did it to me or whatever, but also for some reason I went to the U.S. Open feeling tired.

It is becoming one of the toughest majors now. Where it used to be kind of the most fun of all the majors, it's becoming the hardest now.

I saw Ernie as well and this event will miss him, that's for sure.

Over four days of competition, it's going to narrow the field dramatically. You might see more tournaments like we had last year, where a couple of guys break away and it's kind of two tournaments within a tournament.

Spin is a tricky thing. When you're trying to avoid it - say, on a tee shot, where sidespin puts you in the trees - it's easy to make it happen.

I won this event in 1999, shooting 14 under for four rounds to beat Tiger and a couple of other guys.

I was thinking about that, trying to maybe work on a utility club the next couple of weeks to use it at Augusta.

I was very nervous at the start of the round, I almost felt like I was teeing-off at the Masters or something. But after three holes I managed to settle down and started playing better.

I was very good off the tee. I haven't had many better days driving the ball here. Conditions were also just about perfect, too. It's probably the easiest day we'll have here.

I think Phil has got the game there now.

I think Phil has got the game (at Augusta) now. I think Phil, almost more than Tiger, has got more Masters in him, maybe.

I think Phil deserved this one. Full credit to him.

I still have a couple of things I have to work on in my game. All in all, my confidence is where is should be, especially going into an important tournament like this and a major next week. I just have to keep working.

I think I'm going to be in pretty good shape. I'm fine. I've just got to try to sneak something into the 60s this weekend and see what happens. I know you don't have to try to shoot 65.

I think he's a legend in the making. You (media) guys have helped, but he's backed it up with his golf game. He's 24. He's probably going to be bigger than Elvis when he gets into his 40s.

I think most amateurs dread playing a 180-plus-yard par 3 even more than a hard par 4. Part of it is psychological: You think you should be getting a breather, distance-wise, and instead, you get hit with a long iron or hybrid shot over trouble.

It is easy to blame it on the schedule and it seems like, especially in America, the journalists have been playing a lot on that,

That was exciting stuff. They can show that on The Golf Channel every day instead of all that other stuff they show.

That's what I needed to do, ... I made eight birdies ... and, unfortunately, three bogeys. So I'm still making mistakes. But I've got to be happy with that.

That's been my game plan ever since yesterday evening.

We haven't really played many Masters with dry conditions yet. We might find out this week.

We haven't really played Augusta the last five, six years in very firm, fast conditions.

We were hoping for Jack to win, but we didn't think he was going to. To see him play the back nine the way he did was a real dream because, you know, how many more times was I going to see Jack Nicklaus in a situation like that?

We were sitting there talking, and I remember him saying he doesn't know what he wants to do, whether to turn pro or stay in school, ... I told him he was good enough to turn pro. He did, and the rest is history.

Today was a tough day. I looked at my putting stats and I'm down in the bottom half of the field, so I guess that is where my problem is this week.

Today was a tough day and I got off to an iffy start and was two over par after five holes. I battled hard to get it back to level. But I have to work on my putting. I looked at my putting stats and I'm down in the bottom half of the field, so I guess that is where my problem is this week.

Tiger is not playing as well as he did then. Guys like Vijay, Phil (Mickelson), Davis (Love) and me have elevated a little bit, and the gap has closed a bit. I think guys get to the first tee and really believe they can win with Tiger in the field. Golf will humble the best of them and that's where we are.

Tiger is looking good after his victory in the United States isn't he. But I've won here before and I like the course. I feel comfortable.

We have a tougher field this year with Vijay and some of the other European stars, so it should be a fantastic week obviously.

There have been so many majors that got away, starting at Riviera in '95, taking a three-shot lead into the final round of the PGA and not winning.

When you have a golf course that's so pristine, you just want to play well. Jack Nicklaus has also got something to do with that. Everybody wants to win this golf tournament.

When you get to the tee on a really long par 5, I know what you're feeling. You want to let the shaft out on the driver and try to bomb it down there. I get the same feeling. But a big tee shot is not always the best strategy, especially on a long hole.