Ernie Els starts fast at Harbour Town

HILTON HEAD, S.C. – Three months of a coronavirus lockdown removed from his first win on PGA TOUR Champions, Ernie Els turned back the clock at the RBC Heritage.

The affable 50-year-old quietly fired a 67 in the first round at Harbour Town that left him three strokes off the lead held by Ian Poulter and Mark Hubbard. Els birdied five of his first 10 holes on Thursday as he made his first PGA TOUR start of the season.

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On PGA TOUR Champions, though, Els has wasted no time in making his presence felt. He lost in a playoff to Miguel Angel Jimenez in his debut at the season-opening Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai, then won the Hoag Classic in just his third start since turning 50 in October.

The victory was the first for Els since the 2013 BMW International Open and first in a PGA TOUR-sanctioned event since the 2012 Open Championship.

“I've been playing a lot at home, but under tournament conditions, you know, not quite,” Els said when asked about what he’s been doing during the shutdown. “I've shot some good numbers. The last time I played, I played quite well on the [PGA TOUR Champions], so I need to keep thinking about that.

“But it was really nice to shoot something under 70. Really, really nice.”

Early in his career, Els was one of the men to beat every time he teed it up at Harbour Town. He finished second in 2007, tied for third twice and placed 10th or better seven times in his first eight appearances – and he hopes to channel that experience as the week progresses.

“I think most of my golf nowadays, I go on previous history,” Els said. “I've had some good ones in the past, but I also haven't played very well also.

“It's one of those courses where, if your ball striking is on, on a calm, quiet day like today, you're going to have a lot of chances, and you can see that on the leaderboard.”

Interestingly, Els is playing with two PGA TOUR Champions veterans in Vijay Singh and Bernhard Langer during the first two rounds this week. Els ranks third in the Charles Schwab Cup behind the 62-year-old Langer and fellow rookie Brett Quigley.

Langer, who shot 68 in the first round after a back-nine 31 at Harbour Town, was in the field when Els won the Hoag Classic in March. It was just Els’ third start among his 50-and-older brethren. Singh birdied three of his first five holes on Thursday but couldn’t maintain the pace and finished with a 69.

And to hear Els talk, the World Golf Hall of Famer has found a home on PGA TOUR Champions.

“I really like it out there,” he said. “I think I've done what I could out here on the regular TOUR. I will play every now and again if I get in the field on past champions or something like that. I'll play some select events, but mostly on the Champions Tour.

“I haven't won a tournament before I did at the (Hoag Classic) for seven years. So, it was really a nice thrill for me to win a tournament again and definitely gave me a bit of momentum.”