THE OPEN
Open Authority Among his 72 professional victories, former World No.1 Ernie Els has earned four major championships in his estimable career, winning two British Opens and two U.S. Opens. Who better, then, to tell us of the differences in what it takes to win— and how it feels to win—a Claret Jug and a U.S. Open Trophy
How do you prepare your game? Obviously, they’re two of the most different setups you’ll find. In an Open Championship you’re going to have to have your wind game there; the elements play a bigger part in the actual tournament. The U.S. Open often has thick rough, and you’re going to have to hit driver. Basically, in the Open Championship you have to be able to play in weather conditions that you will not normally see on U.S. Open sites.
How do you prepare your mind? Going into any major championship you need to have a mindset of ‘survival mode’; all the disciplines of the game need to be in good order. You have to get yourself familiar with the golf course, familiar with the surroundings, get yourself comfortable in what you need to do and what your planning is for each and every hole—and then you need to start sticking to a game plan that you like. In many ways the two Opens are very similar in terms of your mindset and your immediate preparation.
Which is more difficult to win? It depends on how you play. Most of mine I had to go through playoffs or I won by one shot. My two U.S. Opens, one was a playoff and the other one I won by one shot over Colin Montgomerie. And then the Open Championship was the same: I was in a big playoff at Muirfield and then I won by one shot over Adam Scott. Mine were very, very tight down-to-the-wire types of wins, a lot of pressure. And both events were very, very different in setup. They were very different but the pressure was exactly the same.
Do they offer different experiences in victory? U.S. OPEN
THE [BRITISH] OPEN
1994 Oakmont 1997 Congressional
2002 Muirfield 2012 Royal Lytham & St. Annes
To ask me that question is a privilege, because not many people have won two of each. The euphoria is the same afterwards, winning and lifting the two trophies is amazing; they’re two of the oldest championships you’ll ever win in the world. The experience of winning each is very similar, but the pursuit of the trophies is very different. You couldn’t have two more opposite events of the same prestige.
SUMMER 2022
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