Ernie Els hungry for victory at his first Macau Open
The Big Easy is presented with a 44th birthday cake and warns his rivals that he wants to taste success
When birthday boy Ernie Els joked "I got my cake and I'm gonna eat it too", it was not just a thank you to the Venetian Macau Open for presenting him with a chocolate gateaux on Thursday, but also a warning to the rest of the field the Big Easy is serious about winning on his first visit to the city.
And only the foolhardy would choose to dismiss it, especially after the South African's bravura performance on the opening day when he stormed back from a miserable four over par after his first seven holes to finish on even-par 71.
The big catch for the popular tournament this year was placed three shots behind joint leaders Australian Scott Barr, Kalle Samooja of Finland and Kiwi Ben Campbell, all on 68.
It's a demanding course. If you are off, you're going to make big numbers
Els, ranked 23rd in the world, meant business. Less than 24 hours after arriving in Macau on his private jet, he woke up early on his 44th birthday - "after just four hours' sleep" - for a 7.10am tee-off in the company of Australian Scott Hend and Jeev Milkha Singh of India.
At first, Els struggled to find his bearings at the picturesque Macau Golf and Country Course, but things brightened up for him, just like the weather over Coloane.
"It was a tough start this morning and it was blowing hard and looked like it was going to really come down on us. But yeah, we got it in the house and all in all it was not a bad day," said Els.
Three bogeys and a double-bogey at the card-wrecker par-four 16th hole were remedied by five birdies on his way back home (the front nine) as he finished well in sight of the leaders.
