Expecting Someone Els?

Ernie Els doesn’t seem the type to be overlooked, not a guy who could take his five-iron and turn a eucalyptus into a pile of tees.

But since pro golf has the attention span of tree bark, chances are that even a two-time U.S. Open champion can nearly be forgotten about, especially if he hasn’t done much in, say, the last 15 minutes or so.

Just to prove that there is more to golf than Tiger Woods and David Duval, we bring you Els, who is neither a reclamation project nor someone to forget about any longer.

The red-haired, easygoing, gum-chewing, 29-year-old South African took on some nasty wind, the two best players in the world, some troubling memories and beat them all Sunday at Riviera Country Club, where he won the Nissan Open and a healthy dose of instant respect.

Els turned in a closing-round 68 for a 14-under par total of 270 and won by two shots over Tiger Woods, Davis Love III and Ted Tryba. And, with a stirring sense of theater, Els won despite making bogey on two of the last three holes during which the wind was busy turning each airborne golf ball into an adventure in flying.

But Els won . . . he won at Riviera, he won by outlasting Woods and Duval and Love and Nick Price and he won on the same track that turned his back on him in the 1995 PGA when he faltered badly in the fourth round with a healthy lead.

“I’m going to enjoy this one, believe me,” said Els. “I must say, when you’ve got all the great players in the world and you’re right in the middle of it and you come out on top, it’s very satisfying, to say the least. You don’t beat these guys too often.

“The way I came through and the way the leader board looked, I should have taken a picture of it.”

Both Tryba, the third-round leader, and Woods had chances to catch Els at No. 18. Needing to birdie the closing hole to force a playoff, they each made bogey instead.

Tryba missed the green, left his chip short and two-putted from 10 feet. Woods missed the green on his second shot when his five-iron went 40 yards right after the wind caught his golf ball and blew it off-line.

Woods said he was merely being aggressive.

“I figured . . . to go right at the pin,” Woods said. “No matter what, don’t pull it. I didn’t pull it.”

He chipped to 18 feet and wound up two-putting for bogey. All the while, Els was standing there in the scorer’s tent, working on a piece of chewing gum, waiting to see if there would be a playoff.

In a matter of minutes, Els was smiling as he was handed the winner’s check of $504,000.

Nobody had to hand him respect, not this time. Els earned that all by himself.

A former No. 1-ranked player, Els knows what the top feels like, even though he hasn’t been quite in touch with it lately.

Els hadn’t even played a PGA Tour event this year until he arrived at Riviera. His bad back forced him to the sidelines, and he was fit enough to play only six tournaments the last half of the year, none after the Canadian Open in early September.

That’s long enough to be semi-invisible in the flavor-of-the-minute world of pro golf, especially when Woods and Duval continue to play the game as if they own it.

Love isn’t surprised that Els was treated as though he had been pushed to the rear of the room.

“That’s today’s world,” Love said. “OK, the Bulls are done and now it’s on to the Lakers. It’s what have you done for me lately? It’s instant gratification. Everybody is the next Nicklaus. I wish I had a dollar for every next-Nicklaus there’s been.”

It’s pretty evident that Els can stand on his own, that he holds up well no matter the competition.

His victory at Riviera was his seventh on the PGA Tour to go along with 22 international victories. He also moved past the $5-million mark in PGA Tour prize money after Sunday’s success.

It wasn’t all that easy. After four holes, Els was three shots behind Tryba. “I knew there was a lot of golf left,” he said. “I wasn’t panicking at all.”

Els birdied No. 6 when he guided a 20-foot putt into the hole and made another birdie at No. 8 with a 10-foot putt. Consecutive birdies at No. 11, No. 12 and No. 13 gave him the lead he never relinquished, despite his bogeys at No. 16 and the troublesome one at No. 18 when he missed a four-footer for par.

“I knew I had to make that putt to win the tournament,” Els said. “I gave Tiger and Ted a chance.”

The wind helped change that. Blowing straight in the faces of Woods and Tryba at the 18th tee, it was a daunting finish.

Woods said the wind had become difficult long before.

“It was swirling,” he said. “It was into our faces at No. 10, then coming down and off the left at No. 11. Then it was back in our faces at No. 12, and on No. 13, it was downwind and off the right. So make sense of that.”

By then, Tryba’s course-record 61 from Saturday was a distant memory. Tryba bogeyed three of the last seven holes and finished with a 72, but he was far from distraught afterward.

“I guess I showed myself and other people I can play pretty decent with the best players in the world,” he said.

Eight of the last nine players on the course made bogey at No. 18. Love, like Woods, closed with a 70. He was the only one in that group of nine who managed par at the closing hole.

Price shot a 68 and tied for fifth with Duval, who had a 69, at 11-under 273, three shots behind Els. They also each made bogey at No. 18.

Els admitted that he was concerned about Woods at the last hole, but knew it wouldn’t be easy.

“Standing there knowing you have to make birdie and the wind the blowing in your face, it’s a lot to ask a guy in that situation,” Els said. “I’m glad he didn’t.”

As far as his own situation, Els said the ranking system will take care of itself. He said the No. 1-ranked Woods, who won last week, and the No. 2-ranked Duval, who won two weeks ago, deserve everything they have. They’ve played their way to the top, said Els, who began the week No. 7.

But what about you, Ernie? What do you deserve now?

“I would have to think of myself as No. 3 at the moment,” he said.

Els was joking. He didn’t play like it.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Nissan Open

Final Leaders

Ernie Els: $504,000

68-66-68-68--270 -14

Ted Tryba: $209,067

70-69-61-72--272 -12

Tiger Woods: $209,067

69-68-65-70--272 -12

Davis Love III: $209,067

69-65-68-70--272 -12

Nick Price: $106,400

67-71-67-68--273 -11

David Duval: $106,400

66-71-67-69--273 -11

Scott Hoch: $90,300

71-69-68-66--274 -10

Bob Estes: $90,300

66-67-72-69--274 -10

Mark Brooks: $72,800

68-71-70-66--275 -9

Robert Karlsson: $72,800

71-66-70-68--275 -9

Frank Lickliter: $72,800

71-68-66-70--275 -9

Jerry Kelly: $72,800

68-69-67-71--275 -9

Brent Geiberger: $58,800

68-70-69-69--276 -8

FINAL SCORES PAGE 10

Inside

ON YOUR MARK

Mark Brooks, who finished five strokes behind champion Ernie Els, is trying for a major revival. Page 10

OPEN CHAMPIONS, PAGE 10

LEADERS’ CARDS, PAGE 10

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

The Final Nine

Ernie Els, Tiger Woods and Ted Tryba were tied heading into the back nine, where Els’ consistent play helped him to victory.

Els

After 3 rounds: -11

After 9 holes: -13

10: -13

11: -14

12: -15

13: -16

14: -16

15: -16

16: -15

17: -15

18: -14

Tryba

After 3 rounds: -13

After 9 holes: -13

10: -14

11: -15

12: -14

13: -14

14: -14

15: -14

16: -13

17: -13

18: -12

Woods

After 3 rounds: -11

After 9 holes: -13

10: -13

11: -13

12: -13

13: -12

14: -12

15: -13

16: -13

17: -13

18: -12