Els Blows Up ... He Blows Up Real Good

by Mulligan Stu on May 8, 2008 10:59 PM EDT

I mentioned a couple days ago that Tiger Woods once called TPC Sawgrass' No. 17 island green "gimmicky." He didn't think that hole should come so late in the round, with its potential to ruin an otherwise good round.

Today, Ernie Els had an otherwise good round ruined on No. 17, which he triple-bogeyed.

Els would probably use a word stronger than "gimmicky" to describe the 17th. In fact ...

"I think they should blow it up. You can't have a major championship ..." the South African said, catching himself before he said something he might regret later.

"Everything you've worked on for 4 1/2 hours is gone in one hole. I was so angry. I felt if I got in the house at 2-under, that would have been a great score."

Interesting that Els called it a "major championship." Those of you opposed to having a fifth major better make your peace with it (or be willing to downgrade the PGA Championship), because The Players will be a major some day, and very soon, and accepted as such by all involved.

Why? Because that's what the PGA Tour has been working toward for a long time. And soon, they will simply declare it to be so. And because everyone involved in making money off golf - the Tour, the players, the networks - will make more money off another major, they'll all fall in line. And that will be that.

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