Els is Calm Before Storm at Doral

DORAL, Fla. -- Blessed by an early tee time, Ernie Els had escaped a wet, dreary South Florida afternoon, and was enjoying his good fortune.

"I'm absolutely glad I'm in here," he said, sitting high and dry inside the Doral Resort as a downpour rained down outside. "It's in the books. I mean, we ran the last two holes just to get it in the house."

Friday's speed-golf finish aside, Els hasn't enjoyed much of a run in quite some time. Once a serious contender for world No. 1, the popular South African has managed only one win since 2004, dropping to 20th in the rankings.

During that time, Els has had to come back from a serious knee injury suffered while tubing behind a boat, and deal with his son Ben being diagnosed with autism. Now, with a 40th birthday having recently come and gone, there's the worrisome possibility that nothing again will ever be as big or as easy as before.

So a second-round 66 at the CA Championship that puts Els 10 under and in front of the elite-field World Golf Championship event is something to savor.

Thanks to the simplest of things.

"It seems like when I start missing shots, I fall into the same bad habits that plague me for my whole career -- basics," he said. "Basically the ball position gets out of whack, my posture gets out of whack, and subsequently, my alignment."

Despite sounding very much like the problems of a high-handicap amateur, Els insisted it's a fact.

"I've played well. I've also thrown a few little dodgy ones in there -- do I need to translate that? Dodgy ones, sort of a couple of crappy ones."
- Robert Allenby "I guess we are not that different from you guys," he laughed.

Or maybe not. Els is leading the golf tournament, one shot in front of Robert Allenby, and three clear of Bill Haas and Charl Schwartzel.

"For some reason, I feel really good mentally this year," Els said. "I feel a little bit more fresh than I have been. I feel like, you know, I'm up for it a little bit more this year.

"I'm a little bit more excited about my whole game. I feel my putting is coming around, my short game is coming around. I've got a lot more hope than I've had maybe in the last couple of years. So I feel I can have a good one this year."

The optimism, Els says, is the result a combination of things.

Cutting back on an always-heavy world travel schedule has been a physical blessing. Also the appeal of this year's major championship schedule -- mainly the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and the British Open at St. Andrews -- has provided a fresh boost.

"The golf courses we are playing this year in the majors, I love them," he said. "I feel if I have my game there, I could have a good chance.

"I don't know why I'm feeling this good. Being at home here with the kids going to school here in Jupiter (Els and his family live in Jupiter, Fla., about 50 miles north of here) must be a positive, spending a bit more time there. So I felt a bit more grounded. I feel a calm this year."

To keep it, Els would be wise not to look back. Before the weekend is over, he'll likely need some calm.

Allenby is hot on the chase and has played some pretty amazing golf -- at least at times.

In first-round play Thursday, Allenby was 8 under through 12 holes before getting bit by windy conditions and finishing with four consecutive bogeys. The good golf, however, included an eagle 2 when he holed a 114-yard wedge shot from the fairway.

On Friday, he came back with a hole-in-one on the 232-yard par-3 13th. Of course, he also had a double-bogey and three bogeys on the way to a 67.

"I've played well," Allenby said. "I've also thrown a few little dodgy ones in there -- do I need to translate that? Dodgy ones, sort of a couple of crappy ones."
Allenby can take consolation that his dodgy ones didn't stink nearly as bad as the weather.

Friday's tee times were moved up three hours in an attempt to beat the incoming storm front, but still play was halted twice and not completed until just before dark.

Along with dumping a boatload of rain on the golf course, the storm also threw golfers a change-up.

"Yeah, the weirdest thing today was standing on the tee at No. 4," Els said. "I'm ready to play and the wind is coming out of the south. And I'm just about to pull the club back, and I feel this chill come over me. I thought, what's going on here? And then wind just changed right there. And then it was blowing from the north. So very, very strange."

But Els beat the incoming storm.

Maybe it's a sign.

In that case, he'll take it and run.