GOLF
Ernie Els vows putting overhaul after Masters misses
Ernie Els vowed on Friday to sort out what has gone wrong with his putting stroke following the ghastly greens showing that wrecked his Masters campaign.
The 46-year-old South African cut a forlorn figure on Thursday after he took an astonishing six putts to get the ball into the hole on his opening hole.
That humiliation he blamed on 'snakes and stuff' that he said had invaded his brain, but it was clear that the problem was not just a one-off abberation but due to something more fundamental in his putting technique.
On Friday, he three-putted the first green to take a six, three strokes better than the day before, and, although he battled back over the rest of the round, his closing 73 left him at 9-over for the tournament - well outside the cut.
It had been, the four-time major winner said, a chastening experience and one which is sure to leave some lasting psychological scars on one of the most popular players on the tour.
"I was very down. Actually, I was not too bad last night and then I slept OK. And then this morning I was feeling down, really down," he said.
"I felt kind of embarrassed. I didn't feel like myself. And it kind of showed again on the first hole. I missed another very short putt and I've got to address whatever the issue is and see if I can make it better."
The most obvious reason for the crisis with Els' putting would seem to be his switch back from a broom-style anchored putter to a regular stick in order to conform to the new rules that came into effect at the start of the year.
Els did make the switch last year well ahead of the deadline, but he has struggled to compete on tour all year in the United States with not one top-20 placing.
Whatever the problem is, Els says he has not quite put his finger on it.
"It could be anxiety, it could be a lot of stuff, so definitely not my normal self, especially the last two days," he said.
"It could be because I'm running out of time at this beautiful place [Augusta National] and maybe putting a bit too much pressure on myself to putt like that. So, we'll figure it out.
"Just an unbelievable test. I don't think I've ever been tested like that ever before."