What they said: Ernie Els

text size

MORE INTERVIEWS: Valero Texas Open transcript archive

ERNIE ELS: I don't know what happened there. I made a bogey and a double from nowhere and that really hurt me. I was 3-over through 10 and then I played good golf coming in but, you know, it could have been a little better, could have been worse, you know. At least I got back to even par.

Q. Recovered on the back-9.

ERNIE ELS: Yeah. The eagle helped me obviously on 14, I hit a very nice second shot there and then the birdie on, where was it, on 17 also helped a little bit. Yeah, back to even par but feel like, you know, could have been a low one out there. The wind dropped for us. It is what it is.

Q. At 8, too, that was a nice one, too, hit the flag stick.

ERNIE ELS: Front-9 plays a little tougher than the back. Yeah, I didn't make the one birdie on the front-9 and the bogey on 9 really -- I think I lost my concentration. I had a wedge into the green and bogeyed that. I think I carried it to the next hole, unfortunately. So, at least we're not out of it.

Q. Is this a course though that you can make up some strokes?

ERNIE ELS: Yeah. Well, yes and no. The greens are so -- you're in the wrong position on the greens it's really difficult. The greens, you got to get it into the right sections. Getting a little firm but you're hitting quite a few wedges into some of the par-4s so that means you got scoring clubs in your hands but you got to be careful. It's kind of a golf course where if you go off target you can make a big number.

Q. Ernie, scoring average today at least as of about 20 minutes ago was 73.3. This course is playing a little tougher than the scoring average of the U.S. Open last year.

ERNIE ELS: That's what we need, we need a little bit of a change. Obviously this golf course is a little different than we play week-in and week-out and I think to some of the players it's a little bit of a shock.

I think it will grow on the players. I think, you know -- I particularly like a golf course that's quite tough and you got to play different shots and you have to do that. Obviously it creates a tough course for the championship golf.

Q. Can you talk about 14, that shot?

ERNIE ELS: Yeah. It was long way away. Little downhill. I got this new 3-wood in my bag which is something I needed today and it's one of those shots that came out perfect. I was really glad to see it, what it was, just a tap-in for eagle. Salvage my around.