No dream farewell for The Big Easy

IT was not the US Masters farewell Ernie Els would have wanted, but the smooth-swinging South African was looking pretty cheerful as he walked off an 18th green bathed in warm sunshine yesterday.

The four-times major champion and former world No 1 has never worn the Augusta Green Jacket, two runners-up spots being the highlights of his 23 trips to the year’s first major.

After many battles with the game’s finest players, Els played the final round in the company of a marker in the shape of Augusta member Jeff Knox and his scratchy 78 left him rock bottom of the field on 20 over par.

The 47-year-old, known as The Big Easy, strode towards the clubhouse to a smattering of polite applause before reflecting on his Masters career.

“To have been able to come here for 23 years, to somewhere you dreamed of playing, at has been an incredible experience,” Els said. “I don’t feel too emotional right now, but that’s probably because of the way I played. I was atrocious.”

The five-year Masters exemption Els received for winning the 2012 British Open runs out this year and he will have to win a PGA Tour event to qualify for the Augusta major.

He has not given up hope of doing that, but the likelihood is that he will not get another chance to play the event in which he finished second to Fiji’s Vijay Singh in 2000 and to American Phil Mickelson in 2004.