Early on Thursday morning, the 150th match of the Open Championship kicked off, when the best players in the world went to one of the most iconic fields in the world: St. Andrews.
Among those who were on the track today was Ernie Els, a two-time Open champion. These victories were won in 2002 and 2012, so it goes without saying that Els should fight for another major victory in 2022.
The 52-year-old got off to a great start, scoring birdie on the first two holes. However, a small setback with a bogey at number 4 did not stop the four-time major champion.
Els found four more birdies sitting five under par the day after No. 12. Unfortunately, he closed with a bogey and a double bogey to finish the day two short.
However, fans were impressed by his performance.
“Ernie Els at The Open. Every 10 years, like clockwork,” joked golf author Jason Sobel.
“What a pleasure to watch Ernie Els in full flight again. Will he be able to stand it? It kind of misses the point. Just enjoy the show!” said another fan.
“I love seeing Big Easy Ernie Els at the top of the leaderboard! This is one of my favorite hits of all time. I hope that he will last all 4 days,” said the third fan.
Will Els be able to back up his first round with another solid round on Friday and qualify?
