Ernie Ells Serene At BMW PGA Championship

By ESPN

In 2010, after walking off the West Course at Wentworth having shot a 2-under-par 70 in the second round of the BMW PGA Championship, Ernie Els turned to address the media by the scorer's hut, at the bottom of the hill beneath the famous old clubhouse.

His words were strong, but his demeanour was the most striking feature during a remarkable 10 minutes. Visibly upset, his emotions were revealed in a series of anguished responses to criticism of the course renovations that his design company had overseen.

Seven years on, the contrast could not have been greater. The skies above Wentworth were the brightest blue, with not a cloud in the sky, "a bit like Florida," quipped Els himself, and yet you sensed there was something up there.

And what was it? A big weight -- a really big weight -- lifted from the Big Easy's shoulders.

It's taken the best part of a decade, and four re-re-designs, but finally the West Course is close to the test Els wanted and one that his peers appreciate.

It was later revealed that the South African, a long term resident of the Wentworth Estate, had always been working with at least one hand tied behind his back. The owner of the club at the time, Richard Caring, had a bigger involvement in the changes than he should have done.

There is little doubt that the knowledge that he was taking flak for someone else's errors was always contributing to Els' pain, but the visceral humiliation of his peers' denunciation was key.

Spin forward to Thursday of the 2017 BMW PGA Championship and, although Els carded a 71, one shot more than seven years previously, he was a much happier golfer. More than that, the word that came to mind was serene.

The smiles spilled and rolled from his face, as he greeted tour officials, TV presenters, radio interviewers and written press with a laugh and a joke. No sign whatsoever of that strained and awkward figure of 2010.

He even managed to cast a positive eye to the past. "Feel really good about today, really struck the ball properly."

He added with a wry smile: "Almost like back in the day."

The key moment of his three birdie-two bogey day came at the 520-yard par-5 12th hole.

"My second shot," he explained. "I pulled it a bit left and hit it into the bank of the bunker. I thought it was plugged, so I asked the guys [his playing partners, Justin Rose and Matthew Fitzpatrick] if I could check it, and they said yeah. I put it back and hit my chip shot, but I just felt uncomfortable with the way the ball came out.

"It came out way too good. So I felt I didn't quite probably put it exactly where I should have. John Paramor [the European Tour's chief referee] explained to me that under the rules, you try and put it back the way you think it should be, but I still felt uncomfortable with it. I didn't feel good about it, so I took a 2-shot penalty."

"It's one of those things. The game of golf is what it is. I know deep down the ball wasn't quite where it should be, and you know, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. So be it. It's a five, and we move on."

The ease with which he explained all of this was almost like glee. Nothing would disturb his peace of mind and the state of the course was the reason.

"It's been a while," he sighed, referring to the journey toward a redesign that the tour membership -- and Els himself -- is happy with. "First and foremost, you have to thank the greens staff. Kenny McKay and his team, what an unbelievable job they have done. The greens are absolutely as pure as you can find.

"Next week we'll be playing the Memorial and I think these greens are running just as good or better than the Memorial, or Augusta for that matter. I think I feel we've got it right this time."

"There was just a couple of things we were uncomfortable with," he added, a minor underestimate maybe, but one he deserved today of all days. "We've kind of corrected that. It's still a hell of a challenge. You still have to play really good golf, but I think it's fair."

And what of his colleagues, the fellow players? The strength of their conviction seven years ago shook him hard. How had they responded this week?

"It's been good," he smiled, a rueful but happy expression of release. "Not heard anything bad this time."

The 47-year-old sits 5 shots off the lead set by Sweden's Johan Carlsson who mixed eight birdies with two bogeys for a round of 66.

Open champion Henrik Stenson is the big name near the top of the leaderboard, part of a nine-strong group on four under, while Danny Willett and Justin Rose are both a shot behind Els on even par.

Els, who once racked up seven top-10 finishes in this tournament, and claimed two HSBC World Match Play Championships at Wentworth, has had only one top-five finish on any tour since the start of 2015.

It's unlikely that he will contend this week, but this was his first sub-par round on the course since 2013. He was a happier man and a happier golfer.

It was not only the West Course that was restored to good health on Day 1 of the 2017 BMW PGA Championship -- Ernie Els was, too.