Sometimes, a golfer must play the role of a conjurer. It happens when a poor shot puts you into such a predicament that there is simply no way out other than to trust your instincts, and produce a moment of magic.
Ernie Els did it this summer, in the British Open at Muirfield. He's known as "The Big Easy" but nothing came easy on his way to a third major title, and his first claret jug. It was a roller coaster ride that only found its destination when he won a four-way play-off. And, yet, the shot that truly won the championship came earlier in the day, on the par three 13th.
The South African's lazy swing on the tee was the root of his problem. At the last moment, he decided to give it a little extra help and pulled his seven-iron into a pot bunker on the left of the green. It was a dreadful lie, the ball nestled in a furrow from where the sand had been raked. The wall of the bunker was so steep that he could barely see over the top and he had to place his left foot on the sodded wall.
It was an impossible shot, but Els - seemingly unflustered by it all - pulled it off quite magnificently. Taking his sand wedge, and taking his time, Els dug himself in and did not play the shot until he was absolutely ready. It seemed to one and all that a good shot would be one that simply found the putting surface, and chances were that the ball would either stay in the bunker or barely escape.
What Els achieved was remarkable. He blasted out, the ball barely clearing the top of the bunker before dribbling down the slope towards the hole and settling two feet away. The bunker shot was a great one, and it looked as if it would be the end; it was the kind of shot that wins majors. Instead, it was just the beginning.
Els had much more work left. At that time, Els felt he had it won. Then, the mental errors crept in. He bogeyed the 14th and double bogeyed the 16th where his seven-iron tee-shot missed the green and ended in a grassy hollow. Els effectively bladed the chip shot, and the ball skidded through the green. He chipped to 10 feet, and missed the putt.
The Open was now open, Els had fallen a shot behind players already in the clubhouse: Thomas Levet (66), Stuart Appleby (65) and Steve Elkington (66) had all produced fine closing rounds to have signed for six-under-par 72-holes totals of 278.
Els got the birdie he needed on the 17th but, with a birdie putt on the last to win it there and then, he showed little conviction. When Els reached the recorder's hut, he was in despair.
A few words with his sports psychologist, the Belgian Jos Vanstiphout, helped him to clear his head. By the time he reached the first tee for the play-off, his mind was focused.
He was to win in the play-off, but, in truth, it was the sand save at the 13th which was the shot that was most worthy of claiming the silver jug. "I was amazed I got it out there," recalled Els. "And that I almost holed it. It was the most difficult bunker shot I've ever had to play."
At the end of the series, readers can vote for their Five Greatest Golf Shots Ever - the reader whose selection corresponds with the shots selected by an Irish Times panel will enter a draw to win a custom-fit Titleist 975J Driver.
