Ernie Els lived out the worst nightmare of every golfer … on the first hole at the Masters.
Els faces an uphill battle this week at Augusta National after the veteran golfer made a 9 on his first hole of the tournament. (That’s not a typo.) Els, a two-time major winner, recorded a quintuple bogey to open arguably the biggest tournament of the season.
How does an accomplished, veteran, professional golfer make a 9, you ask? In Els’ case, the putter was the culprit. Els actually reached the green in three only to six-putt his way to the double-digit score.
Warning: It’s hard to watch.
Adding insult to injury, Els set a new Masters record — and not the kind of record you want to set.
Ouch.
We’ve all been there. Nothing makes golf seem like a bigger waste of time than a disastrous hole early to screw up the entire round.
No one would blame Ernie if he started looking around for the beer cart after that start.
Thumbnail photo via Rob Schumacher/USA TODAY Sports Images
