We've all had moments on the golf course where we've wanted to quit.
Like for example, when you seven putt on the very first hole and immediately start thinking about everywhere else in the world you'd rather be than playing golf. We all thought that professional golfers were immune from that - especially someone as cool as Ernie Els. I mean, he doesn't have the nickname Big Easy for nothing.
Which is why fans of Ernie Els will be saddened to see his comments after that horrendous opening hole of his Masters where he recorded a ten:
I don't know how I stayed out there. I can't explain it. It's something that I'm sure up there somewhere [in your brain] that you just can't do what you normally do. It's unexplainable.
I couldn't get the putter back. I was standing there, I've got a 3-footer, I've made thousands of 3-footers and I just couldn't take it back. And then I just kind of lost count after ... I mean, the whole day was a grind. I tried to fight. I'm hitting the ball half-decent, and I can't make it from two feet.
What holds you back from doing your normal thing? I don't know what it is. You make some stuff up in your brain. It's very tough to tell you what goes through your mind. It's the last thing that you want to do is do that on a golf course at this level so it's very difficult.
I don't know how I stayed out there but you love the game and you have respect for the tournament.
You know where he's coming from, but it's still tragic to see him say something like this:
I'm not sure where I'm going from here. I don't know. We'll see. A lot of people have stopped playing the game because of this sort of thing.
Of course, Els' putting has been the subject of more than one viral video in the last 12 months.
