Positive strides for Els
It's been more than two years since Ernie Els had knee surgery. Except for a third-place finish at Royal Liverpool last summer, we haven't heard a lot from the Big Easy, but it appears that his game is starting to round back into form.
Els had a strong showing at the British Open, finishing tied for fourth thanks to a weekend 68-69. At Southern Hills his 72-68-69-66 left him three shots behind Woods in third. Those solid performances should be encouraging for Els. He's finally starting to see some positive results from the work he's putting into his game. Hopefully he will stay motivated and keep working hard, especially before the majors. He's won three, and I think he's capable of winning more.
Phil's focus is on the right thing
On Sunday a reporter asked Phil Mickelson if he was planning to take some time off after the PGA Championship. Mickelson said no, and added that he was excited to compete in the playoffs for the Fed Ex Cup.
That said, if he doesn't perform well because his wrist is still a problem, he should shut it down and ask Jack Nicklaus, the Presidents Cup captain, to either play him sparingly or to look for a replacement. Too many swings have been damaged by playing through injuries, and Mickelson can't let his wrist problem carry over into the 2008 season.
