Could Els win another major?
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (AP) – The U.S. Open has returned to a monstrous layout on the East Coast. Maybe it’s time for Ernie Els to win another major. The Big Easy is a two-time Open champion, capturing the 1994 title at Oakmont and repeating three years later at Congressional. This week, Els is expected to contend again on the Black Course at Bethpage, which feels as if it stretches all the way to Manhattan with the breathtaking (literally) length of 7,214 yards – the longest in the tournament’s 102-year history. “I’m not the straightest driver in the world and I’m not the longest. I don’t hit every green like some of the other guys.” Ernie Els “This one is playing really long, but I think Congressional was just as long,” Els said. “The rough was just as penal.” Congressional was set up one yard shorter, but it’s still the only other Open course to break the 7,200-yard barrier. Oakmont wasn’t quite as long (6,946 yards) but played just as tough with dense rough, an abundance of bunkers and
