For rookie Aaron Baddeley, today's final round of the Sony Open will be filled with the promise of his first PGA Tour victory, and all that comes with it. But for Ernie Els, his closest pursuer and the No. 2 player in the world, it will be just another day at the office. Els hangs in,
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By Grady Timmons
Special to the Star-BulletinYesterday at Waialae Country Club, the sweet-swinging, laid-back South African golfer made a late charge to pull within two of Baddeley. Trailing the young Australian by five shots after he three-putted the 13th green, Els reeled off birdies at 14, 16 and 17 for a four-under-par 66. His strong finish, which included six birdies in the last 10 holes, gave him a three-day total of 197, or 13-under par for the tournament.
After capturing last week's Mercedes Championship with a tour record 31-under-par performance, Els has now recorded 11 straight competitive rounds in the 60s, including seven straight in Hawaii, where he has gone 64-65-65-67 at Kapalua and 64-65-66 at Waialae.
For his two-week stay in the islands, he is now a staggering 44-under-par and the hottest player in golf. Today, he will attempt to keep that streak alive and make a Hawaii sweep of the tour's season-opening West Coast swing.
But to do it he must catch and pass Baddeley, who is young, confident and strong.
"Aaron's playing really well, obviously," Els said. "And he's really hungry to win his first event. ... Coming from Australia, he's quite used to the conditions, what with the wind blowing. He's definitely not scared."
Els noted that he has never played with Baddeley before. "But we've seen a lot of each other at David Leadbetter's Academy in Orlando," he said. "We've practiced together and so forth. I've really followed his career and I think he's got a lot of talent. He's very much going to be a star for the future. He's got some serious game."
The big South African said he was not overly concerned about having to overcome a two-shot deficit. In fact, he seemed content to let Baddeley, who has much more at stake, feel the brunt of the pressure.
"Obviously you want to be in the lead," he said. "But saying that, it's also tough to sleep on a lead. There are a lot of things going on in your mind. ... There's always a lot of pressure. But it's the same when you're chasing two behind. I need a good start tomorrow."
Els indicated that it will be important for him to "get up" for today's final round. "It's a different situation from last week," he said. "Last week I felt more pressure. Last week I had the lead from day one, this week I've been chasing ... I want to try and drive myself when I get to the range tomorrow to get myself mentally ready to play well."
At 33 and with three majors to his credit, Els will have the edge in experience, and for him that means playing smart, opportunistic golf. "You have to take it as it comes," he said. "You have to play the sensible shot. You just want to try and get yourself in a position to make your move when you get the opportunity. I don't want to get in a match-play situation. I just want to play my game. It will be a good battle, and I just want to play well."
Sony Open