Ernie Els and I had something in common on Sunday

For those who have read my blog before, you probably already know that Ernie Els is my favorite golfer. Sure, Tiger is the greatest golfer in the world, but when you look at the whole package…no one can beat the Big Easy. Even Johnny Miller said of Ernie on Saturday during the broadcast, “…Not a finer guy out here on tour!”

So today, when asked after his round what it would mean to win the Honda Classic, Ernie said, “I’ve got goosebumps!” Me too Ernie…

After 3 1/2 years without a win on the PGA Tour (his last was Jack’s Memorial Tournament in 2004), it is no wonder that Els was feeling nervous. But his 67 was enough to beat out Luke Donald by one shot and bring him back in the winner’s circle again. I couldn’t be happier!

But let’s take a look at what happened to the rest of the field.

First, you have to feel bad for co-leader Mark Calcavecchia after his bunker shot on the 15th (which was a decent shot), trickled down into the rocks, resulting in a double bogey. From there it was all downhill. I like Mark. When the Canadian Open was abandoned by many, Mark came up here and won it. I’ve enjoyed watching him ever since.

And what about that rookie, Matt Jones. Have you ever seen so many facial expressions on someone after they hit a shot? Haha…A cutie for sure, Jones is a 27-year old that looks 16 and gets carded every time he orders a drink in a bar.

I hope he watches some re-runs of this weekend’s broadcast. “Baby Faced Jones” should know that he received two thumbs up from Johnny Miller, who called him a “champion in the making” and even said he had a better swing than Luke Donald (and Miller really loves Donald’s swing). So you know that Johnny was impressed with the Australian. And that should give Matt some extra confidence this year. Maybe rookie of the year? Could be…

Anyway, I am confident that Ernie will take this win and run with it. Wouldn’t it be amazing if he could follow it with a green jacket in April? I think he can do it, (okay…maybe he’ll need a little help from Tiger) and I’ll be cheering for him the whole way!

Golfgal