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Els working on putting for US Open
London, June 05: Ernie Els is back at his Florida home for the next few days to restore confidence in his putting before turning his attention to next week`s U.S. Open at Olympia Fields outside Chicago.
London, June 05: Ernie Els is back at his Florida home for the next few days to restore confidence in his putting before turning his attention to next week's U.S. Open at Olympia Fields outside Chicago.
The world number two, who began the year with four victories in his first five events, has finished in the top 20 in his last four starts but believes he has let himself down on the greens.
"The good news is my swing feels great and I'm striking the ball really well from tee to green," the British Open champion said on his official website. "The only downside has been my putting.
"All week I couldn't get into a groove," he added, referring to his form at the PGA Tour's Memorial tournament in Columbus, Ohio, where he tied for 13th on Sunday.
"I think the ball was maybe a little too far forward in my stance, which meant I was hitting up on the ball too much.
"I need to stay down through the stroke a bit better. Trying to get that right during a tournament is tough, though."
The twice U.S. Open champion said he will spend the rest of this week grooving his putting at his Lake Nona home.
"I'm mainly trying to get myself comfortable over the ball, making sure my set-up is spot on," the 33-year-old said. "I think it's as much a question of confidence, though. When you're not holing a lot of putts, it's easy to get a little bit tentative.
"I just need to see a few putts drop and that will make all the difference.
"I actually feel like my game is really close to where it was when I was winning tournaments at the start of the season, and these next two or three months will be a good time to get back (in) the winning habit again."
Els, who has won two titles on both the PGA and European Tours this season, is widely regarded as the player most likely to challenge defending champion Tiger Woods at next week's U.S. Open.
Despite his recent putting concerns, the big-hitting South African heads the European order of merit and lies seventh in the U.S. money list. His scoring average of 68.50 is the best in Europe this season while his mean of 69.31 is fourth best in the U.S. He is also driving the ball 30 yards further this year since switching to a new set of clubs.
Bureau Report
The world number two, who began the year with four victories in his first five events, has finished in the top 20 in his last four starts but believes he has let himself down on the greens.
"The good news is my swing feels great and I'm striking the ball really well from tee to green," the British Open champion said on his official website. "The only downside has been my putting.
"All week I couldn't get into a groove," he added, referring to his form at the PGA Tour's Memorial tournament in Columbus, Ohio, where he tied for 13th on Sunday.
"I think the ball was maybe a little too far forward in my stance, which meant I was hitting up on the ball too much.
"I need to stay down through the stroke a bit better. Trying to get that right during a tournament is tough, though."
The twice U.S. Open champion said he will spend the rest of this week grooving his putting at his Lake Nona home.
"I'm mainly trying to get myself comfortable over the ball, making sure my set-up is spot on," the 33-year-old said. "I think it's as much a question of confidence, though. When you're not holing a lot of putts, it's easy to get a little bit tentative.
"I just need to see a few putts drop and that will make all the difference.
"I actually feel like my game is really close to where it was when I was winning tournaments at the start of the season, and these next two or three months will be a good time to get back (in) the winning habit again."
Els, who has won two titles on both the PGA and European Tours this season, is widely regarded as the player most likely to challenge defending champion Tiger Woods at next week's U.S. Open.
Despite his recent putting concerns, the big-hitting South African heads the European order of merit and lies seventh in the U.S. money list. His scoring average of 68.50 is the best in Europe this season while his mean of 69.31 is fourth best in the U.S. He is also driving the ball 30 yards further this year since switching to a new set of clubs.
Bureau Report