Els, Immelman in winning form
Brad Morgan
20 January 2004
What a weekend for South African golfers! Ernie Els successfully defended the Sony Open in Hawaii while Trevor Immelman successfully defended the SAA Open at home - both wonderful wins for SA's number one and his heir-apparent, although Immelman may have to wait some time before he is able to take over the mantel from Els.
The previous weekend, in the Mercedes Championships, Els had finished well off the pace, but the signs were there that it wouldn't take much for him to catch fire.
He notched 22 birdies, a tally bettered by only four players, but he was undone by 10 bogeys and four double-bogeys. However, that showed that the man known as the Big Easy was able to consistently produce shot making that would result in below-par scores; all that was needed was for him to cut down on his mistakes. His fans knew it wouldn't take long.
Els started with a three-under par 67, which left him tied with Retief Goosen and Brendan Pappas and four
shots behind the leader Carlos Franco. Els fared even better in the next round, carding a six-under par 64 to be at nine-under 131 at the halfway mark.
Goosen and Pappas matched scores with rounds of 69, while Tjaart van der Walt was one shot back on 137 after following up a first round 69 with a 68.
Day's best round
Els kept the pressure up, however going around in 66 in the third round to trail Harrison Frazar by one shot after three rounds. In a fantastic final round Els produced the best round of the day, tied with Jerry Kelly, a five-under par 65.
Frazar was up to the challenge, however, posting a four-under 66 to match Els on 18-under par 262 after 72 holes. That meant the tournament would go to a playoff for the second year in succession. It should be pointed out that Els' final round 65 meant he had carded 16 successive rounds in the sixties in the tournament.
Neither player could par the par-five eighteenth, which came
as something of a surprise, so they moved on to the second playoff hole. Els had the advantage when Frazar missed the fairway, but his putt to win it all was just right of the hole and the two players were off to the third extra hole, which was where Els won the tournament in 2003, edging out Aaron Baddeley for the title.
Both players hit the green on the par-three eleventh, but Frazar putted first. His attempt finished two feet past the hole, leaving Els with a 25-footer for the win. "This is Els' kind of length", said the commentator on ESPN, and he was right. Els dropped in the putt to become the first player since Corey Pavin in 1986/1987 to successfully defend the Sony Open title.
'It's working out fine for me'
"A playoff in the Sony", said Els. "It's working out fine for me". Thankfully for the big South African the scene was far less taxing than the last time he was involved in a playoff, that being the dramatic three-hole
head-to-head against Tiger Woods in the Presidents Cup.
With US$864 000 in his pocket for the victory (R6 287 135), it has been a nice start to the year for Els. He must love the Sony Open. In 2000 he finished fifth, in 2001 he took fourth, then victories in both 2003 and 2004.
Back in South Africa, young Trevor Immelman managed to achieve something that his idol Els has not yet managed. He managed to successfully defend the South African Open, branded the South African Airways Open. The last player to get that right is one of the game's all-time greats, Gary Player, who did it in 1976-1977.
Emulating Els
Immelman's win also made him the first player to successfully defend a European Tour title since guess who did it in 2002-2003? Ernie Els, who won the Heineken Classic.
"Those guys are legends in South African sport, and it is fantastic for me to have done something that they have done," said Immelman.
He entered the
final round trailing leader Anders Hansen of Denmark, but on a testing Erinvale layout Immelman found a way to win, notching birdies on 10, 13 and 16 to open up a four-shot lead heading into the eighteenth. He bogeyed that hole, but by then the title had been sewn up. It was his fifth as a professional.
Immelman's final round five-under par 67 left him on 12-under 276 for the tournament, three clear of Alastair Forsyth of Scotland and Steve Webster of England.
A better player
He played on both sides of the Atlantic last year and, reckons Immelman, the experience has left him a better player than he was last year. He says his control, strength and timing have all improved. Any golfer who makes those improvements will, no doubt, be a better player.
So, a great start for South Africa's Player of the Year for 2003, and for the man who won the Outstanding Performance Award along with Rory Sabbatini for claiming the World Cup title for
South Africa at Kiawah Island.
Golf lovers, and South African golf lovers especially, are blessed to have such talented players playing the game. Sometimes, despite the tremendous successes South African golfers consistently achieve, I wonder whether we appreciate just how good our golfers are and just how great the South African golf tradition is.
If you need reminding, why not read up on some of those greats, Ernie Els, Bobby Locke, Retief Goosen and the greatest of them all, Gary Player.
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