Older and wiser, the Big Easy shrugs off narrow misses
South African star is unfazed by several missed shots, saying he's focusing on the positives as he makes a bright start to tournament
Ernie Els celebrates his 45th birthday on Saturday and showed he is already wiser as he refused to dwell on the shots that got away in his first appearance at the Hong Kong Open.
Yes, I did miss three makeable birdie putts and that hurt a little, but at the same time I had some good ones on the front nine which helped me
Els might have missed three makeable birdie putts on the back nine, yet he was a happy and contented camper after the first round at Fanling, finishing two shots behind outright leader Jyoti Randhawa.
The South African shot a four-under-par 66 and then showed the wisdom that comes with age when he dismissed the near misses and preferred to focus on the narrow shaves, which kept him in the hunt for the title.
"Yes, I did miss three makeable birdie putts and that hurt a little, but at the same time I had some good ones on the front nine which helped me. It all balanced out in the end," said Els.
"You could say I could have been in the lead, but then my aunty could have been my uncle as well," smiled the genial Els, who carded six birdies and two bogeys.
"At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter where you are now. Each day is like a session in cricket and what matters is the final afternoon," Els said.
India's Randhawa set the early pace finishing on six-under 64, including seven birdies and a bogey, to lead after the first day's play at the US$1.3 million Hong Kong Open. It is being played for a second time on the 2014 European Tour schedule - the first was last December - as organisers brought forward the date in a bid to attract more leading players.