Ernie Els started the British Open with a triple-bogey on Thursday, and it could have easily been avoided if he wasn’t so careless. Els, a 44-year-old veteran who has won 19 times on the PGA Tour, somehow putted three times from inside two feet.
Els had to work hard to put himself in position for a tap-in bogey after hitting a spectator with his tee shot. The fan was bleeding from the mouth, so it’s unclear if that rattled Els. Whatever the case, he missed his two-foot bogey putt and then tried to carelessly knock the double-bogey in with the back of his putter. He missed that, too.
The series was extremely difficult to watch, and it could end up costing Els down the road. While it’s only Thursday, you have to limit mistakes in order to remain in the hunt at the British Open. Els made two brutal ones in a span of a few seconds.
Video via Will Brinson
