Before the 2002 Nedbank Challenge got under way much was made of how the Gary Player Country Club course had been toughened up. At Augusta and elsewhere it is known as ”Tiger-proofing”, but given that Tiger Woods has only played this tournament once, it might more sensibly be called ”Ernie-proofing”.
It involved pushing several tee boxes back and installing new bunkers more germane to the landing areas of players both fearless and technologically blessed. Whatever the thinking was behind the changes, it didn’t work, because Ernie Els still won the tournament, this time by eight shots.
It may even be that the tournament was over about 15 minutes after it began. That’s about how long it took Colin Montgomerie (playing in the lead two-ball) to play the first hole on Thursday in seven blows, a total amended to eight after the round had been concluded, to include a penalty stroke incurred during the back swing of his second shot.
Take away that quadruple-bogey and Montgomerie would have begun the final round level with Els, instead of four strokes behind him. It was a situation that demanded early success from the Scot if there was to be any chance of putting pressure upon the serene progress of Els to a third title in four years.
That it was clearly not going to happen was apparent at the second hole of the final round. Both players hit three-woods off the tee, but while Els pulled his so far left that he dawdled on the tee, preparing to play a provisional ball, Montgomerie’s flew straight and true down the middle of the fairway.
When Els found his ball he discovered that even with a restricted back swing he could advance it about 140m, and that allowed him to subsequently hit a sand wedge from an unpromising lie to four feet. He duly drained the birdie putt to rapturous applause.
By contrast, Montgomerie from the middle of the fairway hit a great three wood, which hit a hard spot just short of the green that propelled it through the putting surface into a horrible spot. He could not get up and down and, having done nothing wrong, he found himself five shots behind going to the third.
As Els said afterwards, ”That took the wind out of Colin’s sails a bit”, and the muse left the Scot’s shoulder for the duration of an even-par front nine. An eagle on the 10th got Montgomerie back on track and he came surfing home in 31 shots. Unfortunately for him, Els covered the same nine holes in 30. ”I was in the zone and the hole looked really big,” said Els later, clearly a little startled by his apparently impossible 63.
If Els was startled, however, the bookmakers were not. He was 28-10 with them on Wednesday and by Friday night he was a prohibitive 8-10 on. Bookmakers deal in reality, rather than sentiment; they knew he was going to win; the question was merely by how many shots.
It shouldn’t be that easy to predict a golf tournament, but several things made it possible. The field was restricted to 12, the golf course holds no secrets for Els, the crowds were solidly behind him and, most importantly, during the course of 2002 he has fulfilled his talent.
Possession of the claret jug can do that to golfers. With two US Opens to his name Els knew he was good, but they were earned before the Woods phenomenon took over. The Open Championship was won in fearsome conditions with a crisis of confidence along the way.
He now knows he can win wherever and whenever he tees it up, whomever happens to be in the field. That is the recipe for one hell of a wedding anniversary on December 31.