HSBC WORLD MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP

October 18, 2003

Ernie Els

SCOTT CROCKETT: Thankfully for all of the Scots and South Africans in the audience we can talk about the golf. Congratulations, a repeat of last year's semifinal, the same outcome. You must be delighted to be in the final round of the match play.

ERNIE ELS: Yeah, I am. It's great to play in the final again. I think it's my sixth final now, and I'm looking forward to it. It was a very tough match today. Vijay gave me a nice, gentle start to the second round. But I felt I came back this morning. I was really, really not playing good. I wasn't feeling comfortable this morning. The last three holes changed the whole outcome of the match. Vijay was totally dominating me this morning, and somehow I managed to make a birdie at 16 out of a fairway bunker to get, I think 3-down at that stage.

And then I birdied 17 out of the right rough to get 2-down.

And then 18 I birdied where Vijay missed the putt.

I went to lunch 1-down but I felt something with my swing. I was going through all of the swing fixes I could think of and I finally found one on 18 tee this morning and I felt comfortable with that drive I hit and the second shot. I went with that same thought this afternoon and the ball came out a lot better and I putted well.

But saying that, Vijay came back again. He chipped in on 10; he birdied 11; he eagled 12. So I had to kind of stand my ground. Luckily, I made that putt on 10. That was a long putt and I just gave it a whack and it went in.

12, was a real, real test for me because he hit it close there. It looked like it almost went in the hole from the fairway and I really needed to count on that shot. We both made eagles on 12 and I feet comfortable after that.

SCOTT CROCKETT: You set a new record, eight holes in a row to win. That must give you some pleasure, as well.

ERNIE ELS: I wasn't thinking about that, obviously. I was just trying to play and stay focused and hit the next shot.

Vijay, I could see his rhythm went. I don't know what he had for lunch, but he just didn't quite hit the ball the same. But then the great player that he is, he started grinding it out, too. And if No. 8 until we finished, he started really playing well again. But that eighth shot, the eight-hole record, I mean, that's great but it doesn't mean much.

Q. What did you have for lunch?

ERNIE ELS: I had two plates.

Q. Can you tell us what the swing change was on 18?

ERNIE ELS: It was just a feel. I'm a feel player and I like to get the club really high at the top of my backswing. I think I was either lazy, tired or something but I was swinging more across my body than up-and-down. I was trying to figure out a way to get the club up. You can't just stand there and lift the club. You have to turn behind the ball and everything. I just felt that I could do it more and I started getting more speed through the ball and the club; I felt more comfortable at the top of the swing.

Tomorrow it might be different again.

Q. What were you like at four down, negative?

ERNIE ELS: The way I was playing, I wasn't really comfortable over the ball. Vijay, he just seemed to just rip the ball. Really felt like you shouldn't be in that league for a while. I was just trying to grind something out. I was just trying to get to lunch somehow, 3-down, 4-down and get something out of the match, out of the morning match.

Yeah, there's a lot of things going through your mind but you're just trying to plug along. I saw yesterday what happened with Tim Clark coming back at me and I always had that belief that if I find something, something good might happen.

Q. The putt at the tenth in the afternoon must have been a great psychological blow?

ERNIE ELS: You're absolutely right. If there's any turning point, you trip in, you've won No. 8, birdied -- looked like he was back into it. And as I say, you know, I had a similar putt this morning, a lot shorter putt for par. So I knew the round, you've still got to hit it on that line. A little bit fortunate but I felt like I gave it a good try. That was a big, big putt. I think even bigger was my second shot on 12, as I mentioned.

Q. How did you feel when you woke up this morning?

ERNIE ELS: Felt okay. I took it easy last night, regarding the birthday and everything.

The game is so strange sometimes. You go through so many emotional changes and stuff, and especially match-play. So it just -- I'll probably feel better tomorrow morning.

Q. When did you hear the rugby result?

ERNIE ELS: Down 7, one of the marshals told me.

Q. Did you want to know?

ERNIE ELS: No. The one guy had the score wrong on the third or fourth hole. The guy said we were up 12-6 and I was like, whoa. Then at 18 he tells me we lost 25-6. I didn't know if he was trying to play with my mind. (Laughter.) But anyway, that was bad luck.

As I said, if we're going to talk rugby, I think England is going to take a really good side to beat them. I think they are on top form.

Q. Any preference of playing with Ben or with Thomas in the final?

ERNIE ELS: Either way, you've just got to play. You know, Thomas, I know he's gotten a lot better than Ben Curtis obviously, but it seems like Ben Curtis likes to play in England. He plays well down here. So, you know, Thomas can make a lot of birdies, he's a good solid player, Ryder Cup player, he knows how to play match-play. But it really doesn't matter, does it? You get you've got to play as good as you can.

Q. It will be the Wentworth Championship too?

ERNIE ELS: Yeah, I think Jos, also. He'll be smiling. I wonder, who is he going to be pulling for tomorrow, you know? (Laughter.)

Q. Do you and Thomas play practice rounds together here?

ERNIE ELS: No, when we're here we don't play too much golf. He's got three kids, I've got two kids. No, I normally just practice a little bit at Queenwood. I play most of my company days here at Wentworth.

End of FastScripts.