For 15 holes on Thursday, he rolled back the years. At five-under, Ernie Els looked every bit the Champion Golfer of 2002 and 2012. Could he be heading for the incredible, and become Champion Golfer of 2022? At the Old Course in the 150th Open Championship?
In the end, the Road Hole happened. But the Big Easy made six birdies, two bogeys and a double-bogey to sign for an opening two-under-par 70, and in an Open Championship, that’s just fine.
But what a start: Two birdies in a row to open up set the tone for a day in which aficionados just relished the opportunity to see just what made him one of the greats of his generation. And the other birdies also came in pleasing groups of two, too, on eight and nine, and on 11 and 12.
The bogey on 16 was something of a shock for a man who had been doing everything so well, particularly off the tee. He flew the green on the par-four, and his chip ran too far past the hole. The resultant two-putt was disappointing but not the end of the world.
Then came a disastrous tee shot at the 17th which brought him back to earth a bit. He went out of bounds, fanning his tee shot right onto the grounds of the hotel. The result was a double-bogey, bringing him back to two-under headed to the home hole.
Annoyingly, he three-putted on the home hole for a disappointing par. He bunted a hybrid up onto the putting surface but missed about an eight-footer for his birdie.
Still, there was something about watching him which bodes well for the rest of the championship. There is no way he won’t grab any opportunity that comes his way in the second round.
