Establishment (Ernie Els) vs. New Breed (Jason Day)

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Jan. 11, 2011
By PGATOUR.COM staff

HONOLULU -- One of the themes for the 2011 PGA TOUR season is the competition involving the Establishment vs. the New Breed. How will the established players -- those with significant TOUR experience and long-standing championship pedigree -- fare against the young, hungry up-and-comers who are looking to nudge their way into the TOUR's elite?

Each week, PGATOUR.COM will select two players -- one from the New Breed and one for the Establishment -- and analyze their chances heading into the tournament. We'll then track which player has the better score for his team, and keep a running tally throughout the year.

This week, we've selected Jason Day for the New Breed and Ernie Els for the Establishment:

ESTABLISHMENT
AGE: 40
YEARS ON TOUR: Starting his 18th full season on TOUR.
OVERVIEW: Els is coming off a two-win season that kept him on or near the top of the FedExCup standings for much of 2010 before he finished third overall. He turned 40 in October, shortly after learning he had been elected into the World Golf Hall of Fame, but the affable South African doesn't appear ready to rest on those considerable laurels. His decision to concentrate on the PGA TOUR appeared to pay dividends in 2010 for Els, who won consecutive starts in Florida, and tied for third at the U.S. Open, a tournament he has already won two times previously.
STATE OF HIS GAME: He came to Kapalua last week on the heels of victory at the 100th South African Open. He had mixed results on Maui, though, when he failed to capitalize on the momentum of a second-round 64 and tied for 17th.
HISTORY IN THIS EVENT: The first five times Els played in the Sony Open in Hawaii, he won twice and finished second in 2005 as he went for the rare three-peat. In fact, he's finished 12th or better six of the seven times he's played at Waialae.
OUTLOOK THIS WEEK: It depends on whether his putter is more sympatico with the rest of his game. Els obviously knows the course as well as anyone but he tied for 28th in putting and ranked next-to-last in putts per round at Kapalua last week. Not a good combination considering Els was third in greens in regulation and had plenty of chances.

Click here for a 2011 preview of Els

NEW BREED
AGE: 23
YEARS ON TOUR: Starting his fourth full season on TOUR.
OVERVIEW: Hard to believe, but Day is still one of the youngest players on TOUR. In fact, 27 of the TOUR's 36 rookies are older than the Aussie is -- but he has something they all covet, a victory at last year's HP Byron Nelson Championship. Day went on to post top-10s in the first two events of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup and eventually finished eighth overall. He did all this last year while battling a debilating and lingering sinus problem that appears to have been corrected by offseason surgery.
STATE OF HIS GAME: That muffed drive during the second round of the Hyundai Tournament of Champions notwithstanding, Day managed a tie for ninth in his first appearance at Kapalua last week. He ranked third in driving distance and first in putting, although he stood 28th of 32 players in greens in regulation.
HISTORY IN THIS EVENT: His record at Waialae isn't stellar. Day has played in the Sony Open twice -- missing the cut as a rookie and then tying for 64th two years later.
OUTLOOK THIS WEEK: The par-70 Waialae Country Club is relatively flat and wide-open and tends to surrender low rounds with frequency. Day's length should be an advantage, along with the week of competition under his belt. If the putter cooperates, he could contend.

Click here for a 2011 preview of Day

New Breed vs. Establishment: 2011 results

Here are the results of the previous matchups this year