Monday Backspin: Putting changes help Els; mailbag
By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM Site Producer
There was a time when I wasn't sure if Ernie Els would ever win another golf tournament. More importantly, there was a time when Els wasn't sure he'd ever win again.
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At 40 years old, though, and with his kids Samantha, 10, and Ben, 7, getting to that age where a parent wants to be around to see them grow up, Els knew he needed to make some changes. Els moved his family to Palm Beach, Fla., full time, cut back on his international travel and started getting serious about his golf again.
One of the changes Els made to his game was in his putting stroke. Last fall at Liberty National, Els began working with Marius Filmalter, a 53-year-old putting guru who lives in Texas who has worked with Tiger Woods and Hunter Mahan, among others.
"The first time I looked at [Els'] stroke, I wasn't too impressed with it," said Filmalter, who met Els through a mutual friend. "He was putting very defensively, not releasing the club and trying to steer putts."
Filmalter had Els bend over the ball more and tightened up his stroke, making it more compact. "Tall guys tend to drift all over the place," Filmalter said. "The main thing was to bring back good memories of when he was putting well."
That has had a trickle-down effect for Els and he's now playing well -- his win at TPC Blue Monster at Doral on Sunday gave him his eighth top-10 in his last 15 starts on the PGA TOUR.
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For as good a player as Els has been throughout his career, his confidence has also been incredibly fragile. The last two years, Els found himself pressing, trying to win the tournament on Thursday only to lose confidence each passing day.
"I was almost chasing my own tail a little bit," Els said. "I was not looking after the smaller things, the basics.
"I finally had to trust it at some stage, and there's no better day to really test yourself than [in the] fourth round of the golf tournament, everything on the line. I really just wanted to prove it to myself."
Els certainly did that Sunday and that should send his confidence through the roof, especially with major venues of Augusta National, Pebble Beach, St. Andrews and Whistling Straits. Els badly wants to win another major and this year may be his best chance. In 2000, he finished second at each of those first three courses and in 2004 he tied for fourth at the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits.
"Two years ago when I won [The Honda Classic], I got all carried away and thought I was going to win Augusta," Els said. "This time I just want to take this in. But next week I'm going to work hard again."
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THE BACK NINE: 9 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
1. At this point, I have zero idea when Tiger Woods is going to make his return and it's hard to think anyone outside of about 4-5 people knows for certain, either. But I agree with Steve Stricker in that Woods needs to come back before the Masters. Yes, Augusta National is a tightly controlled event, but a) you'd think he needs some competitive reps before then and b) it will make things that much more difficult for the rest of the field in the year's first major.
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2. Phil Mickelson keeps saying he's close, but at some point you have to wonder just how close he is and what that means. Clearly Mickelson isn't happy enough with his game, which is why he added the Arnold Palmer Invitational to his schedule.
3. Stat(s) of the Year, courtesy of former USGA Executive Director Frank Hannigan in a note to colleague Geoff Shackelford: From 125-150 yards, the average distance to the pin is actually 2 feet, 4 inches closer under the new grooves rule. From 50-75 yards, it's 7 inches closer. In scrambling, the percentage players have gotten up and down from 90-150 feet is 3.7 percent better. Those numbers may change as the TOUR gets to places with thicker rough, but it sure doesn't look like the rule change is having any major effect.
4. Padraig Harrington is as polite and mild-mannered as they come, even when asked if a win in Miami would've been a triumph for the Ireland or the British people. Harrington, of course, is Irish and he gave the unfortunate soul who asked him the question a little geography/history lesson, saying, "That would be like if a Canadian won, would it be a triumph for the Americans or Canadians ... I think you want to talk to one of the guys from Northern Ireland. I'm from the other side of the Republic: Green, white and orange."
5. I had a chance to sit down with Waste Management Phoenix Open winner Hunter Mahan for a few minutes last week and came away with three interesting nuggets. First, Dave Stockton has made a big difference in his putting and he has Mahan putting with his hands ahead and standing taller over the ball. Mahan got to know Stockton at last year's Presidents Cup, by the way. Second, he'd been pressing way too much the last two years, trying to win tournaments on Thursdays. Third, red wine apparently goes very well with macaroni 'n cheese. That's what Mahan had to celebrate his win, along with steak and lobster.
6. How good was Brad Faxon's debut in the booth? Well, the first shot he called was Robert Allenby's hole-in-one. I'd say that's a pretty good start. Faxon seemed a little nervous at times, though, and occasionally talked over the action, but he'll be fine and he won't be bashful in his analysis.
7. Speaking of NBC, I don't know what the ratings were, but I'm guessing there was at least a noticeable drop-off after 6 p.m., which is when CBS' NCAA Selection Show came on the air. Why not just start earlier Sunday and end the golf telecast at 6?
8. And speaking of the NCAA men's basketball tournament, I'll be taking a brief break from this column next week for a little Vegas vacation that will hopefully include plenty of buzzer-beaters. It's an annual buddies trip I've been taking for years, but my very capable colleague Ryan Smithson will be filling in for me in this space while I'm gone.
9. We're 24 days away from the first round of the Masters and I don't know about you, but I have no idea who is going to win it. Mickelson has been all over the place with his driving or putting or both. Who knows what kind of shape Tiger's game is in? Maybe Els, as mentioned, will finally get a Green Jacket. Or perhaps one of the Brits, like Casey, Ian Poulter or Lee Westwood, though history isn't on their side. Or maybe it will be an Angel Cabrera-type year with someone coming from way off the radar.
FROM THE MAILBAG (Click here to submit your question)
Do you see Tiger playing the Masters? -- Mathieu Evans
In a word, yes. But the real question is whether or not that will be his first event back. As I mentioned earlier, I have no idea or inside knowledge of whether it will be the Tavistock Cup and/or the Arnold Palmer Invitational, or the Masters. I do know this much: His fellow players want him back as much for what he brings to the game as they're growing weary of answering questions about when or where he'll return.
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