TON-UP ELS STILL HUNGRY
ERNIE ELS tees up in his 100th Major at the US PGA tomorrow insisting he is not finished winning titles.
‘The Big Easy’ and Phil Mickelson will reach their century of appearances at Quail Hollow.
And neither have won on tour since their last Major triumphs at the Open – the American winning at Muirfield in 2013 and Els lifting the Claret Jug for the second time at Royal Lytham in 2012.
The South African, world No.419, is only playing in Charlotte on a special invitation after his five-year Major exemption expired. Els said: “I’ll be 48 in October, but there’s so much to play for.
“This age motivates me, scares me and excites me.
“I’ll never dominate the game again, but if I catch a streak, I know how to close out a tournament. I recently said to someone: ‘In the end, I only ended up winning four Majors’. I had to stop and say: ‘No! It’s four Majors and counting’.
“You do have to think that way.”
Els will play the first two rounds with Ian Poulter and Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama.