Is Ernie a choke artist?

[themasteroncbs]

Today, big Ernie blew a four stroke lead over Tiger in Dubai to lose the tournament. He also blew that tournament in South Africa in December by making a triple on the final hole. Not to mention his other recent failures to a get a W. I think the question should be posed, is Ernie a choke artist?

[hawkeye]

no. he's gotten himself in contention in his first game of the year. most fella's are a little rusty after time off. you can't say he wasn't trying - ended up in an unfortunate place on 17 and went for a big shot on 18. He had to birdie one of the last few holes to draw level - he went for it and it didn't pay off!

Tiger did birdie 10, 11, 13, 14, 17 and 18 - it's not like Ernie threw it away. The one before Christmas you might call a choke but he's finished off 2 majors in playoffs - thats what he'll be remembered for.

[Big_M]

  hawkeye said:

no. he's gotten himself in contention in his first game of the year. most fella's are a little rusty after time off. you can't say he wasn't trying - ended up in an unfortunate place on 17 and went for a big shot on 18. He had to birdie one of the last few holes to draw level - he went for it and it didn't pay off!

I agree... Ernie did hit a poor shot on 18... but that is golf, and he isn't a choke artist. You could just as easily say Phil choked by missing putts all day today. Ernie will win again.

[MPS67]

I'll give the Big Easy credit for going for the win. Although, I believe he made an unwise decision by using his 5 wood into the wind that was breezing over the galleries directly into him. He should have known better, considering the longer hitting Woods came up short the day before from only a few yards farther back tan where he was lying.

[golf_junkie27]

Calling Els a "choke artist" is absurd. Tiger birdied every other hole on Sunday. How can Els control that? He can't.

Still, he made the play to win the tournament, not lay up and hope for a great wedge shot. He went for the win. How many golfers do that? Not many. I applaud him for the effort. However, my fault with him is not using a 3 wood. Wind and distance did not call for a 5 wood.

[iacas]

  golf_junkie27 said:

Calling Els a "choke artist" is absurd. Tiger birdied

He can control the fact that he shot a fairly poor 71, though.

  golf_junkie27 said:

Still, he made the play to win the tournament, not lay up and hope for a great wedge shot. He went for the win. How many golfers do that? Not many. I applaud him for the effort. However, my fault with him is not using a 3 wood. Wind and distance did not call for a 5 wood.

Why should he "hope" for a great wedge shot? Zach Johnson laid up on every par 5 at Augusta and won. Did he not "play to win"?

In other words, I disagree with the premise that "playing to win" means going for it. It may have been smarter to lay up. We'll never know - Ernie will never know. Anyway, a 225-yard shot from Ernie Els that fell 15 yards short? That's a bit bizarre. You'd think he could get there pretty easily.

[golf_junkie27]

  iacas said:

He can control the fact that he shot a fairly poor 71, though.

Respectfully, I watched this tourney. Els putting was not very good on Sunday. Secondly, his short iron approach shots on Sunday, with the exception of two, were outside of 10 feet. Again, the way he was putting, going for the green in two had to factor into his mindset. That's why I believe that he went for the victory. Making an eagle, while highly unlikely given his putting,

gives him the win. Making a birdie puts him in a playoff with a chance to win . Big difference and that's why I wrote "going for the victory." Additionally, Iacas, do you think it's fair to compare a short hitter's approach to an entire tournament vs a long hitter's approach to a final hole? I don't believe it's a just comparison, at all. Again, for emphasis, an eagle guarantees victory. I'll take a guarantee over a possibility every day of the week.

[iacas]

  golf_junkie27 said:

Respectfully, I watched this tourney.

So did I.

  golf_junkie27 said:

Els putting was not very good on Sunday.

And the Giants didn't have a very good offense until the fourth quarter.

Here's another way of putting it: Imagine being down 3 points in the Super Bowl with 5 seconds on the clock. You're at the opposing team's 25. Do you kick the field goal to tie or try for the end zone? Winning outright with an eagle is a very low percentage shot. It increases the odds, too, that you'll lose outright as well (as Ernie did by dunking it in the drink). In that situation in football, you kick the field goal. Ernie could have hit 3-wood or laid up. Either would have been the safer play. The 3-wood would have gone long (free drop from the stands if he hit it that far). I'm all for giving credit where credit is due, but Ernie doesn't get much here from me. He played stupid on the last hole after playing rather mediocre (for him) golf the previous 17 holes.

[hawkeye]

The Sky Sports commentators (on course) said he necked it - it wasn't a clean hit (like Tigers the day before). It was the right club. He was very near the plaque dedicated to Monty on the 18th fairway - just in the semirough.

If he hit 3 wood he'd have needed to neck it too - otherwise he'd be in the grandstand.

Hope he bounces back in India this week.

[Elsfan]

No. The fact that Tiger basically duffed his 3rd out of the rough and still made Birdie hurt. Ernie was not hitting terrible shots, well a couple were bad, just needed a couple putts to go. He was in good position but it was his first tourney of the year. I still wouldn't have liked his chances if he did force a playoff. He needs to get that taste for winning again and he will be fine.

[ganjagolfer]

the only choke in him is artichoke

[SubPar]

  Big_M said:

I agree... Ernie did hit a poor shot on 18... but that is golf, and he isn't a choke artist. You could just as easily say Phil choked by missing putts all day today. Ernie will win again.

I give him "credit" for failing to sink two short putts that would have given him the win and failing to even make one birdie on the last three holes to force a play-off.

Choker! SubPar

[g-funk13]

  SubPar said:

I give him "credit" for failing to sink two short putts that would have given him the win and failing to even make one birdie on the last three holes to force a play-off.

SubPar speaks the truth! Els has more chances on the back 9 than the would be birdie on 18. I am ticked. Feel like I got ripped off. . . there should have been a playoff. HOWEVER Tiger's Poulter/#2 ranking comment in the press conference got me over it quickly. HILARIOUS!

[iacas]

  hawkeye said:

If he hit 3 wood he'd have needed to neck it too - otherwise he'd be in the grandstand.

... from which you get a free drop, yes. Players in certain situations aim for grandstands, you know...

[Chilidipper]

  golf_junkie27 said:

Respectfully, I watched this tourney. Els putting was not very good on Sunday. Secondly, his short iron approach shots on Sunday, with the exception of two, were outside of 10 feet. Again, the way he was putting, going for the green in two had to factor into his mindset. That's why I believe that he went for the victory. Making an eagle, while highly unlikely given his putting,

Ernie did choke he has the lead and blew it. Do I think he is a choke artist? I wouldn't call a future hall of fame golfer with 3 majors a choke artist. Sounds like sour grapes to me.

[themasteroncbs]

  Chilidipper said:

Ernie did choke he has the lead and blew it. Do I think he is a choke artist? I wouldn't call a future hall of fame golfer with 3 majors a choke artist. Sounds like sour grapes to me.

A hand full of people don't mind calling Phil the same thing and he has even better credentials than Ernie. Also, how about Greg Norman? It just proves that when you're held to such high standards as players such as Els, you're always under the microscope. Golf is just such a mental game that it is impossible to not occasionally succumb to the pressure. Some people (very uninformed I might add) seem to think Tiger is immune to a case of the nerves but even he isn't. I've seen him make enough mistakes over the years to fill a novel, but what seems like more often than not he pulls a houdini to rectify matters, yet not always.

[stuartaustin]

In a way, yes, but not really. He has his moments just like any other golfer, the bad stuff just happens to him more often. He just needs to go back to the basics and play some good golf.

[tcarter]

It could be the moustache putting him off !! When Tiger grew a Goaty he wasn't his best !!