A job well done from Ernie
WHEN Ernie Els was brought in to modify the greens at Wentworth it was done in the hope of attracting the top names to the PGA Championship.
So when Padraig Harrington and Ian Poulter confirmed their entries for next month’s tournament, it proved a worthwhile exercise.
Harrington has not featured in the last three PGA’s because of his opinion of the greens, but it was great to see him practising around the new-look West Course on Friday before announcing his popular return.
On the circuit, however, Ernie didn’t enjoy the best of days at Jeja Island, Korea, on Sunday, when a disappointing final round 74 saw him fall away from the leaders in the Ballantine’s Championship.
His two victories on the PGA Tour were fantastic but were then followed by a disappointing Masters at Augusta, and it’s obviously taken quite a bit out of him. The stress of winning is huge at times and his performance is a classic sign of burnout. It’s not his form, he just needs to go away for a bit and work it off.
All credit to Marcus Fraser, to win by four shots anywhere on the European Tour is an achievement in itself, and an impressive way to celebrate a first Tour win in seven years.
Across the water, Jason Bohn was the surprise winner of a rain-delayed Zurich Classic in New Orleans, leading from start to finish.
Bohn is not exactly a household name but is known as the man who launched his professional career in 1992 after winning $1m in a $1 hole-in-one competition.
Now, that was a buck well spent.