THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

March 20, 2002

Ernie Els

TODD BUDNICK: We welcome Ernie Els to the THE PLAYERS Championship press room, winner of the Genuity Championship this year, and I believe five top-twos in your last five appearances here at THE PLAYERS Championship.

ERNIE ELS: Except for last year.

Yeah, other than that, I've played okay here. It really sets up a lot like a major. It's even more difficult than a major championship, because of the -- you know, just the design of the golf course. The greens are really small, very undulating, and the higher rough makes it really difficult at times.

The greens at the moment are quite soft, which is nice. I think that makes it fair. But when they get really firm, I think that's what it plays -- you know, when it gets almost out of control.

You know it's a golf course where you will probably see guys that are really on form play well. You're not going to scuffle it around here and shoot a good score, you've got to play well to score well.

Q. Speaking of being on form, it took you almost all of 2001 to get a victory, and then you've got things on a roll right now. Why the difference between most of last year and the way you are playing now?

ERNIE ELS: Well, let me think. I've kind of answered this question so many times and I'll try and give you a different answer. (Laughter.)

You know, I think my attitude is a little better this year. I worked a lot last year on my game. It didn't pay off in the end but I felt I was playing better at the end of last year, I had quite a few solid tournaments around the world. I think, you know, winning with Retief at the World Cup gave me a lot of confidence. I think THE TOUR Championship, also. That was my last event of the year, I tried to get that win to keep my event streak alive, and I got it to a playoff. Although I lost in the playoff, I felt my game was right where I wanted it to be.

I just tried to carry that over and even get better attitude-wise this year. Q. I think I read an article where you said that last year, you went out and beat balls because you were a pro and that's what you're supposed to do and this year you're doing it with more of a purpose?

ERNIE ELS: Yeah. We all like to practice, and I think that's the way you get better at this game. But at times, the way I did it last year for a while, you know, I just didn't do it the right way. I just went through the motions when I was out on the range and didn't quite get progress on my game.

You know, I changed that a little bit. I think a little bit more quality time than quantity was helping me a little better this year.

Q. May I ask you this -- I feel, and I'm sure a bunch of others -- I'm sorry I was a few minutes late and I missed your opening comments. But I feel you are probably the hottest golfer coming in here to this championship. I wonder about your thoughts, and I wonder how it has affected your confidence?

ERNIE ELS: I think, obviously, I've had a pretty good run. I must admit I ran out of steam last week a little bit. I could feel my body was really tired over the weekend. It really hit me on Saturday. But I still tried to hang in there. I didn't play my best game, but I kind of hung in there and if it wasn't for that finish I had on Sunday, I would have had another Top-5 finish.

But I've done a lot of traveling, but I think I'm over all of that jet lag from those trips I did back and forth to Dubai. I've really taken it very easy coming into this week, so I've still got that confidence and I just came off the practice tee with Lead, and Franky gave me another little lesson, and I feel like I'm hitting the ball really crisply again. So I'm looking forward to this week.

But as I said before, this kind of golf course is a real little monster. You know, you've got to really play well here. So that's why I've been really trying to keep myself a little bit tuned coming into Thursday.

Q. Would you like to see it get really firm and fast by the weekend?

ERNIE ELS: Not really. You know, I think the way it's playing right now is really fair. The greens are quite receptive for iron shots coming into the greens.

The rough is so high that if you go into the rough, really this week, you're going to be penalized. I think they have got to give you something, and I think keeping the greens the way they are right now is just perfect for the way the golf course is set up.

Q. Not to steal his thunder, but I do have a two-part question. A, do you like this course and, B, do you think it's fair; or do you think if it does get firm and fast as we've seen in the past couple of years, it can get a little bit out of control?

ERNIE ELS: As I say, if they can keep it the way it is now, I think it's going to be a really fair test. I like the golf course. I think it rewards aggressive play, you know, when you're on your game.

But saying that, with these greens, you can be aggressive. You can go at some flags and have a chance, and I think it will be better for the tournament and for the spectators and for the players even if it's like this, because even though the greens are quite soft, they can still put the flags away where you've really got to make up your mind; are you going to go at it or you're not going to go at it. When the greens are really hard, that shot goes right out of your game and you go for the safe shot, almost like last week.

It all depends on how it kind of sets up by the weekend, of how the guys are going to play.

Q. Could you elaborate a little bit on any changes you've made to your practice regimen? Is there anything in particular that you're working on or how you structure your time?

ERNIE ELS: Definitely, when I get out there tonight, I'll hit a couple of shots. I'll warm up and I'll start hitting a couple of shots, when I get to my 5-iron, I take about 15 minutes or 20 minutes, and if my swing is on, after hitting a couple of shots the way I want to hit it, that's fine. I don't want to mess with it.

This morning, I was out there playing, and I could feel I was uncomfortable over the ball. And I had played nine holes and I went to the range and Frank came with me, and I just felt that I had to do something to feel more comfortable. And as it worked out it was my ball position and my aim was a little out. When I got that squared up, you know, my eye saw the shot a little better and that's when I started hitting my shots again .

I think last year, I probably would have still been out there and not get the right advice at the right times.

Q. Did you go back and finish? Did you play the back nine when you got done with the range?

ERNIE ELS: No. I played yesterday.

Q. It seems like this alignment thing has been sort of a recurring theme for the first couple of months. You go out there and you get a little bit off line, they tweak you back, bang and you're right back on track. Is there anything you can do to prevent that or is that something somebody's just got to say --?

ERNIE ELS: I was really right on line at Miami and Dubai, but I think with all that travel coming back from Dubai to Orlando, that was right around the first couple of days when I got a little bit tired, you know. I was just falling back into a couple of little bad habits. I think you guys -- you walked with me over the weekend and I hit a couple of loose shots which I really didn't do those first couple of events.

And I don't have the energy to really go out to the range and practice and get it all right so I was just trying to -- last week was kind of, get over the jet-lag week, and hopefully be back to business this week.

Q. Have you always been a streaky player when you were younger?

ERNIE ELS: Yeah, I think I've kind of always been like that. If you look at my Money List or at end of the year, I'm quite consistent. But through the year I have my ups and my downs a little bit. So I guess I've always been like that.

Q. Explanation?

ERNIE ELS: I don't know.

Q. Retief. Was he the one who sort of pushed you to the sports psychologist?

ERNIE ELS: No. He never pushed me. He never asked me. I just saw from the outside what this guy was doing with Retief, and I thought that it might be a good idea if I see him, because myself and Retief, we come from similar backgrounds.

Q. How hard was it for you, a guy who is ranked in the Top-5 suddenly decide, "Well, I have to go see a psychologist to help me with my game," even though you were obviously struggling a little bit last year?

ERNIE ELS: It wasn't hard at all. I just figured that, you know, I needed to do something else to get better. We all try to get better at this game. I've always swung the club pretty well, and my game has always been pretty good. I just needed a little bit of help from somebody outside of my friends or family and stuff like that. I just needed another outlet; from another perspective, kind of a thing.

Q. Would you have gone to see him, had anything in 2000 been maybe different, like your runner-ups to particularly one guy?

ERNIE ELS: I don't know, who knows. We'll know now, probably, would we? (Laughter). It's hard to say if I didn't finish 2nd six or seven times. It's hard to say. Probably yes, because I still want to try and improve.

Q. What did Jos (Vanstiphout) actually say?

ERNIE ELS: I'm not going to tell you.

Q. When did you make the decision to go see him?

ERNIE ELS: We met up at the British Open. I was in Europe in 2000, in Germany playing the BMW and we kind of talked a little bit then. I said, "No, no, I don't need you," or whatever. So we met up again at the British Open in July of last year.

Q. What happened in the interim to change your mind between Germany and the British Open?

ERNIE ELS: Nothing much. Just played golf, just traveled and did my thing. I saw him at the British Open and I was on the putting green and he actually came to me. You know, we had some words.

Q. Is it fair to say that he helped you adjust your attitude?

ERNIE ELS: Well, yeah, I would say so. I think he's been a very good help. I think he's been very positive, and, you know, he's told me things that sometimes I didn't want to hear, and sometimes he's told me things that I really need to know.

You know, he's definitely been a positive influence.

Q. Obviously, there's another guy playing pretty well coming in here. Does it seem to the players and you that Tiger sometimes can just flick on a switch as the schedule gets closer to Augusta? What's the feeling in the locker room, talking about him? And any explanation on why he just doesn't seem to be playing the West Coast Swing very well anymore, the last couple of years, anyway?

ERNIE ELS: You know, first of all, when I get to the locker room, I don't talk about Tiger Woods or the guys. I don't really do that.

Me personally, what I think about his performance, I think you're right; there is something there. I don't know if players push him that way or he just wants to come out and win when he wants to, but he's definitely got the talent to do that. When he really gets focused and hones in and does what he wants to do. It's pretty hard not to see him win.

So, obviously he did that last week. He had a tough time last week, with his own game, and he definitely showed us, again, how good a player he is coming through in the final round and really playing the back nine really well, winning the golf tournament.

He definitely has some magic when he needs to really do something, he's got that knack to do it. I don't think there's a lot of players that can do that like him. That's one thing.

And then obviously, he's got the talent to do these kind of things. He's West Coast person.

On the West Coast, I personally think the greens don't really suit him out there. And it's early in the season. I think, really, he's the kind of player that really looks forward to the majors, and I think West Coast is a little early to be thinking about the first major. So he's probably not that serious about his game.

Q. You said he has the talent to do that kind of thing, that magic, when you see him do that, does that inspire you and your game?

ERNIE ELS: Sure, it does. If you look at his record, you know, when he's had chances to win, he's basically taken every chance he's had. So that says a lot for the guy. He's really got the throttle when he needs it, and that's probably why he's such a great player. He really comes through in the clutch.

Me personally, I like to learn from that. I watch him play and I keep on learning.

Q. How do you learn -- what are you learning from watching that?

ERNIE ELS: You just watch him the way he goes about his business, how he's really focused on every shot, especially in the clutch, and, you know, he misses shots on the right sides of the flags. He did that again on Sunday. On 17, he had to miss it left. If you're going to miss it, that's what he did, almost hit into the Bay Hill lake on the left. (Laughter.) He hit it on the right side, where you had to, if you wanted to make par the hard way, that was the side to miss it on.

Q. Now are you saying, well, there's a chance I could miss this, okay, I've got to miss it here, is that something you didn't do in the past or as much as you should have?

ERNIE ELS: As I say I'm learning from that.

Q. There's been a lot of discussion this week about Mickelson playing the 16th. I was just curious if you had any thoughts or theories when you get into contention on the back nine, when you get the green light, when is a good time to go ahead and take a pretty high risk and how many factors come into that?

ERNIE ELS: I just heard about what Phil did on 16, so I can't comment on that. But I could comment on when you take shots on or not.

It's just what your little guy inside tells you. Sometimes you just feel, that, hey, this shot is on. Only you know what you're feeling.

When I hit that shot out of the desert, down in Dubai a couple of weeks ago, probably the same kind of risk/reward kind of a shot. It was the second round. As I said then, two more rounds to make it up.

But it's how you feel in the situation, and only the player will know what he wants to do. The caddy, everybody can talk, but only you know what you want to do with the golf ball.

Q. Have you ever argued with that little man?

ERNIE ELS: Oh, yeah, definitely. We do that all the time. (Laughter.)

Q. For example, what about the fire iron at Congressional on 17, was that a risky shot or a bold one or a good one?

ERNIE ELS: Everybody was happy there. (Smiles) they were all happy with that one.

Q. Has your outlook on when to go for a shot changed since you started visiting with the psychologist?

ERNIE ELS: Well, yeah, I think it's all about decisions out there, isn't it. We make a lot of decisions for a million bucks. Some business people take six months to make decisions around big deals; we've got a pretty big deal every week. And every day you work towards that. So we've got four days to make all our decisions for the big prize.

So sometimes, you've got to feel like, you know, you've got to back off, but then, we are very competitive, we have got our own little egos, so we feel we can take on every shot, at times. And at times, when everything is positive and everything feels well, basically 90 percent of the times, we are aggressive on the course, those times it comes off. But then, you know, you've got to sometimes say, we can't play exactly the same kind of game today. We've got to play a different game because your swing might feel different or you might not be as positive. So that's when you've got to make those certain choices.

Q. And not being -- not being afraid to fail, is that part of and being able to throw it out there if it doesn't work?

ERNIE ELS: Definitely. I think playing so many tournaments on tour at times, you just basically are fearless. And other times, you try and hold on. Just depends on the situation. We are all human. We would like to be the same every day, but we're not.

Q. If you don't pull off a shot is it more times than not a bad decision or a bad swing?

ERNIE ELS: It's a 50/50 deal. But nowadays, my swing is pretty good right now. It's probably decision, mental. I make mental mistakes if I make mistakes now, I guess.

Q. Speaking of decisions, how do you feel about the changes in Augusta will affect your decision-making when you go to play had a course in a few weeks?

ERNIE ELS: Well, hopefully I'm swinging well. If I'm swinging well, I think I'll have a good time around there. I played it a couple of weeks ago, as you guys know, and I really like the changes they have made. It's a lot more difficult. Probably not as difficult as this golf course we'll play this week, but it will be a lot more difficult than it's been in the past because of the length.

I think it will suit a lot of players. There are really a bunch of players who will like it.

Q. Do you think it will favor the longer hitters or will it favor the guys who can get up-and-down more? Is there any way of quantifying that?

ERNIE ELS: I think the longer hitter that's on his game will definitely be more suited to that golf course than a guy that's really good around the greens. I think a guy that's really a long, high hitter, will have a very good time if he's on his game.

Q. Do the changes narrow the field of the players that can win or does it expand?

ERNIE ELS: With technology now, most of the guys can hit it a long way. It's just, are you happy with yourself hitting certain shots into those greens.

So I think a little bit of experience will help around that place. Especially when you're around the greens. I think the field will narrow down a little bit, not as much as I thought the first time around.

Q. Do you think the most drastic change is 18?

ERNIE ELS: Yeah, they will play it back there. I think it's 465 up the hill, and that's big, big change. We used to hit -- on a calm day, a wedge or 9-iron in there. That won't happen now. It's 5-, 6-, 4-iron in there now.

And the same goes on 1. 1 is also a wedge in there on a good day and now it's probably a 5- or 6-iron.

Those are huge major changes and to hit those kinds of irons into those slopey greens is going to be really difficult.

Q. Does 3-wood -- would you consider a 3-wood off the first tee to keep short of the bunker?

ERNIE ELS: Well, it depends on what the weather is like. Probably not. You've got to hit something up there, as far as you can up the left side. You've really got to -- if you hit 3-wood off the tee, you're going to be hitting with almost another 3-wood to the green. It's a really big change.

Q. Do you like the fact that this course now requires some longer irons going into those greens?

ERNIE ELS: Well, if it's really firm and fast, you know it's going to be very difficult. It's a major championship and they wanted to get it a lot tougher and that's what they have done.

I don't know, you know some of those greens are really slopey to hit 4-irons on and that's what we are going to be faced with.

Let's see how the tournament goes. It's tough to tell you exactly what's going to happen. We'll just have to play it and see.

Q. What do you think of 17 here, both as a hole and where it fits?

ERNIE ELS: It's absolutely perfect. It's just perfect. It's just a great hole. It's only 145 or 148 to the middle of the green, but it's such a difficult hole. You know, you really thinking just to get it on the green, really. And when the flag is in the front, obviously you might be having a little thought of getting it closer off the bank, but really, you just want to get it on the green. And where it's situated, 17th hole, that's just perfect.

Q. Do you get any butterflies or sweaty palms?

ERNIE ELS: You know that the hole is out there. All day, it's there. (Laughter.) You really just want to be as calm and positive as you can be, but it's a difficult shot.

Q. Do you ever get mad on a golf course and yell or curse or scream and get frustrated?

ERNIE ELS: Yeah. (Laughter.) Yeah, sure, I do. I think I've just got a better way of hiding it, definitely. Yeah, I get quite angry. As I said, you've got to speak to my caddy. He'll tell you a bit more.

Q. I understand there was a discussion on this in a meeting last night with the players, not you individually, but the reaction of players in situations. Is that becoming a bigger problem?

ERNIE ELS: Yeah, I think you guys discover it better, especially with TV cameras. I think with the purses increasing so much, I think the stress level also goes a little up, which is normal, isn't it. So it's going to be -- they want also of it, but, you know, our heartbeats are going up, you know, with playing golf courses like that and playing for purses like this.

So we've got a little bit of a conflict there. But I think the guys in general have really done a very good job. I think we have got a pretty nice way of playing golf out there. I think a lot of the guys set a good example.

TODD BUDNICK: Thank you, Ernie. Good luck this week.

ERNIE ELS: Thank you.

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