Early riser Els sets the pace
Ernie Els made the most of his local knowledge with a five-under-par 67 to take an early lead in the first round of the Dunhill Championship.
Els, who has a house on the course, carded five birdies and no bogeys after starting at the ungodly hour of 6:45am local time.
“It’s nice to be done before noon,” Els joked. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a tee off time before seven in my career.”
The South African highlighted the par five 13th as a turning point in the round after fearing his pulled tee shot had found a water hazard.
“I thought it went into the water but when I went to look I saw it was just left of the stream and I had a shot,” Els said.
“I played it out to the fairway, hit a wedge onto the green and made a birdie. It was a big swing for me cause it could have been a six, seven or anything.
“I don’t think my score will hold up, somebody could definitely go lower. The greens are so good if you get it on the right side, you can make the putts. I’m still happy with that start though.
“This start really helps me a lot and I want to do well here. The tournament is a prestigious event and I’d like to play well here. Last week (in Sun City) I started finding my rhythm over the weekend. My swing was a bit jerky but it’s feeling good now.”
Defending champion Marcel Siem of Germany got off to a bad start, driving out of bounds on the last to run up a nine and finish with a 76.
